t.m^'i 


r\ 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


I'KINCK    1USMAKCK 
i860 


LOVE  ERS  OF 

BISMARCK 

Being  I 

. 
an* 

undi 


".;•> 


' 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS  OF 

BISMARCK 

Being  Letters  to  His  Fiancee  and  Wife,  1846- 1889 

Authorized  by  Prince  Herbert  von  Bismarck 

and  Translated  from  the  German 

under  the  Supervision  of 

CHARLTON    T.    LEWIS 

ILLUSTRATED  WITH  PORTRAITS 


HARPER    6r    BROTHERS    PUBLISHERS 

NEW    YORK    AND    LONDON 

I90I 


Copyright,  1900,  by   Haripr  &   Hrothki 

All  rights  rcservra 


College 
Library 


3>D 
A/'/E 

/foil* 


CONTENTS 

PACK 

Letters  Written  Before  Marriage  to  July,  1847    .    .        3 

Letters  Written  While  in  the  Prussian  Parlia- 
ment and  the  Federal  Diet,  August,  1847-1858.     113 

Letters  Written  While  Minister  to  St.  Petersburg 

and  Paris,  1859-1862 313 

Letters  Written  While  Minister-President  and  Im- 
perial Chancellor,  1863-1888 381 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


PRINCE    BISMARCK — 1860 Frontispiece 

JOHANNA    VON    PUTTKAMER — 1 847 Facing  page      16 


PRINCESS    BISMARCK 

PRINCESS    BISMARCK— 1855 

PRINCESS    BISMARCK  —  1 87 1 

BILL,   MARY,  AND    HERBERT    VON    BISMARCK     .      .      . 

PRINCESS    BISMARCK  — 1873 

COUNTESS      MARIE,     PRINCESS     BISMARCK,     PRINCE 

BISMARCK 

PRINCESS    BISMARCK — 1 885 

PRINCE    BISMARCK 

PRINCESS    BISMARCK 


60 
IOO 
140 
20O 
250 

300 

350 
376 

400 


LETTERS    WRITTEN    BEFORE    MARRIAGE 
TO  JULY    1847 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS  OF 
BISMARCK 


P.  A.  Truchot. 
Hotel  de  Prusse,  Stettin. 
(Not  dated :  written  about  the  end  of  December.  1846.) 

To  Herr  von  Puttkamer: 

MOST  HONORED  SIR, — I  begin  this  communication 
by  indicating  its  content  in  the  first  sentence — it  is  a  re- 
quest for  the  highest  thing  you  can  dispose  of  in  this  world, 
the  hand  of  your  daughter.  I  do  not  conceal  from  myself 
the  fact  that  I  appear  presumptuous  when  I,  whom  you 
have  come  to  know  only  recently  and  through  a  few  meet- 
ings, claim  the  strongest  proof  of  confidence  which  you  can 
give  to  any  man.  I  know,  however,  that  even  irrespective 
of  all  obstacles  in  space  and  time  which  can  increase  your 
difficulty  in  forming  an  opinion  of  me,  through  my  own 
efforts  1  can  never  be  in  a  position  to  give  you  such  guaran- 
tees for  the  future  that  they  would,  from  your  point  of  view, 
justify  intrusting  me  with  an  object  so  precious,  unless 
you  supplement  by  trust  in  God  that  which  trust  in  human 
beings  cannot  supply.  All  that  I  can  do  is  to  give  you 
information  about  myself  with  absolute  candor,  so  far 
as  I  have  come  to  understand  myself.     It  will  be  easy  for 

3 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK       [Dec. 

you  to  get  reports  from  others  in  regard  to  my  public  con- 
duct ;  I  content  myself,  therefore,  with  an  account  of  what 
underlay  that — my  inner  life,  and  especially  my  relations 
to  Christianity.  To  do  that  I  must  take  a  start  far  back. 
In  earliest  childhood  I  was  estranged  from  my  parents' 
house,  and  at  no  time  became  entirely  at  home  there  again ; 
and  my  education  from  the  beginning  was  conducted 
on  the  assumption  that  everything  is  subordinate  to  the 
cultivation  of  the  intelligence  and  the  early  acquisition 
of  positive  sciences.  After  a  course  of  religious  teaching, 
irregularly  attended  and  not  comprehended,  I  had  at  the 
time  of  my  confirmation  by  Schleiermacher,  on  my  six- 
teenth birthday,  no  belief  other  than  a  bare  deism,  which 
was  not  long  free  from  pantheistic  elements.  It  was  at  about 
this  time  that  I,  not  through  indifference,  but  after  mature 
consideration,  ceased  to  pray  every  evening,  as  I  had  been 
in  the  habit  of  doing  since  childhood;  because  prayer 
seemed  inconsistent  with  my  view  of  God's  nature;  saying 
to  myself,  either  God  himself,  being  omnipresent,  is  the 
cause  of  ever\Tthing  —  even  of  every  thought  and  volition 
of  mine — and  so  in  a  sense  offers  prayers  to  himself  through 
me,  or,  if  my  will  is  independent  of  God's  will,  it  implies 
arrogance  and  a  doubt  as  to  the  inflexibility  as  well  as  the 
perfection  of  the  divine  determination  to  believe  that  it 
can  be  influenced  by  human  appeals.  When  not  quite  seven- 
teen years  old  1  went  to  Gottingen  University.  During 
the  next  eight  }*ears  I  seldom  saw  the  home  of  my  parents ; 
my  father  indulgently  refrained  from  interference;  my 
mother  censured  me  from  far  away  when  I  neglected  my 
studies  and  professional  work,  probably  in  the  conviction 
that  she  must  leave  the  rest  to  guidance  from  above :  with 
this  exception  I  was  literally  cut  off  from  the  counsel  and 
instruction  of  others.     In  this  period,  when  studies  which 

4 


1846]       THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

ambition  at  times  led  me  to  prosecute  zealously — or  empti- 
ness and  satiety,  the  inevitable  companions  of  my  way  of 
living — brought  me  nearer  to  the  real  meaning  of  life  and 
eternity,  it  was  in  old-world  philosophies,  uncomprehend- 
ed  writings  of  Hegel,  and  particularly  in  Spinoza's  seem- 
ing mathematical  clearness,  that  1  sought  for  peace  of 
mind  in  that  which  the  human  understanding  cannot 
comprehend.  But  it  was  loneliness  that  first  led  me 
to  reflect  on  these  things  persistently,  when  I  went  to 
Kniephof,  after  my  mother's  death,  five  or  six  years  ago. 
Though  at  first  my  views  did  not  materially  change  at 
Kniephof,  yet  conscience  began  to  be  more  audible  in  the 
solitude,  and  to  represent  that  many  a  thing  was  wrong 
which  1  had  before  regarded  as  permissible.  Yet  my  strug- 
gle for  insight  was  still  confined  to  the  circle  of  the  under- 
standing, and  led  me,  while  reading  such  writings  as  those 
of  Strauss,  Feuerbach,  and  Bruno  Bauer,  only  deeper  into 
the  blind  alley  of  doubt. 

I  was  firmly  convinced  that  God  has  denied  to  man  the 
possibility  of  true  knowledge ;  that  it  is  presumption  to 
claim  to  understand  the  will  and  plans  of  the  Lord  of  the 
World;  that  the  individual  must  await  in  submission  the 
judgment  that  his  Creator  will  pass  upon  him  in  death, 
and  that  the  will  of  God  becomes  known  to  us  on  earth 
solely  through  conscience,  which  He  has  given  us  as  a 
special  organ  for  feeling  our  way  through  the  gloom  of 
the  world.  That  I  found  no  peace  in  these  views  1  need 
not  say.  Many  an  hour  have  I  spent  in  disconsolate  de- 
pression, thinking  that  my  existence  and  that  of  others 
is  purposeless  and  unprofitable — perchance  only  a  casual 
product  of  creation,  coming  and  going  like  dust  from  roll- 
ing wheels. 

About  four  years  ago  1  came  into  close  companionship, 

5 


THE  LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK      [Dec. 

for  the  first  time  since  my  school-days,  with  Moritz  Blank- 
enburg,  and  found  in  him,  what  I  had  never  had  till  then 
in  my  life,  a  friend;  but  the  warm  zeal  of  his  love  strove 
in  vain  to  give  me  by  persuasion  and  discussion  what  1 
lacked — faith.  But  through  Moritz  I  made  acquaintance 
with  the  Triglaf  family  and  the  social  circle  around  it,  and 
found  in  it  people  who  made  me  ashamed  that,  with  the 
scanty  light  of  my  understanding,  1  had  undertaken  to 
investigate  things  which  such  superior  intellects  accepted 
as  true  and  holy  with  childlike  trust.  I  saw  that  the  mem- 
bers of  this  circle  were,  in  their  outward  life,  almost  perfect 
models  of  what  I  wished  to  be.  That  confidence  and  peace 
dwelt  in  them  did  not  surprise  me,  for  1  had  never  doubted 
that  these  were  companions  of  belief;  but  belief  cannot 
be  had  for  the  asking,  and  1  thought  1  must  wait  submis- 
sively to  see  whether  it  would  come  to  me.  I  soon  felt  at 
home  in  that  circle,  and  was  conscious  of  a  satisfaction 
that  1  had  not  before  experienced — a  family  life  that  in- 
cluded me,  almost  a  home. 

I  was  meanwhile  brought  into  contact  with  certain  events 
in  which  I  was  not  an  active  participant,  and  which,  as 
other  people's  secrets,  1  cannot  communicate  to  you,  but 
which  stirred  me  deeph\  Their  practical  result  was  that 
the  consciousness  of  the  shallowness  and  worthlessness 
of  my  aim  in  life  became  more  vivid  than  ever.  Through 
the  advice  of  others,  and  through  my  own  impulse,  1  was 
brought  to  the  point  of  reading  the  Scriptures  more  con- 
secutively and  with  resolute  restraint,  sometimes,  of  my 
own  judgment.  That  which  stirred  within  me  came  to 
life  when  the  news  of  the  fatal  illness  of  our  late  friend  in 
Cardemin  tore  the  first  ardent  prayer  from  my  heart,  with- 
out subtle  questionings  as  to  its  reasonableness.  God 
did  not  grant  my  prayer  on  that  occasion;  neither  did  He 

6 


1846]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

utterly  reject  it,  for  1  have  never  again  lost  the  capacity  to 
bring  my  requests  to  Him,  and  1  feel  within  me,  if  not  peace, 
at  least  confidence  and  courage  such  as  1  never  knew  be- 
fore. 

1  do  not  know  what  value  you  will  attach  to  this  emotion, 
which  my  heart  has  felt  for  only  two  months ;  1  only  hope 
that  it  may  not  be  lost,  whatever  your  decision  in  regard 
to  me  may  be — a  hope  of  which  1  could  give  you  no  better 
assurance  than  by  undeviating  frankness  and  loyalty  in 
that  which  1  have  now  disclosed  to  you,  and  to  no  one  else 
hitherto,  with  the  conviction  that  God  favors  the  sincere. 

1  refrain  from  any  assurance  of  my  feelings  and  purposes 
with  reference  to  your  daughter,  for  the  step  I  am  taking 
speaks  of  them  louder  and  more  eloquently  than  words 
can.  So,  too,  no  promises  for  the  future  would  be  of  ser- 
vice to  you,  since  you  know  the  untrustworthiness  of  the 
human  heart  better  than  1,  and  the  only  security  1  offer  for 
the  welfare  of  your  daughter  lies  in  my  prayer  for  God's 
blessing.  As  a  matter  of  history  I  would  only  observe 
that,  after  1  had  seen  Fraulein  Johanna  repeatedly  in 
Cardemin,  after  the  trip  we  made  together  this  summer, 
I  have  only  been  in  doubt  as  to  whether  the  attainment 
of  my  desires  would  be  reconcilable  with  the  happiness  and 
peace  of  your  daughter,  and  whether  my  self-confidence  was 
not  greater  than  my  ability  when  1  believed  that  she  could 
find  in  me  what  she  would  have  a  right  to  look  for  in  her 
husband.  Very  recently,  however,  together  with  my  re- 
liance on  God's  grace,  the  resolution  which  1  now  carry 
out  has  also  become  fixed  in  me,  and  1  kept  silent  when  1 
saw  you  in  Zimmerhausen  onty  because  1  had  more  to  say 
than  1  could  express  in  conversation.  In  view  of  the  im- 
portance of  the  matter  and  the  great  sacrifice  which  it 
will  involve  for  you  and  your  wife  in  separation  from  your 

7 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK       [Jan. 

daughter,  I  can  scarcely  hope  that  you  will  give  a  favora- 
ble decision  at  once,  and  only  beg  that  you  will  not  refuse 
me  an  opportunity  for  explanation  upon  any  considera- 
tions which  might  dispose  you  to  reject  my  suit,  before  you 
utter  a  positive  refusal. 

There  is  doubtless  a  great  deal  that  I  have  not  said,  or 
not  said  fully  enough,  in  this  letter,  and  1  am,  of  course, 
ready  to  give  you  exact  and  faithful  information  as  to 
everything  you  may  desire  to  know;  I  think  I  have  told 
what  is  most  important. 

I  beg  you  to  convey  to  your  wife  my  respectful  compli- 
ments, and  to  accept  kindly  the  assurance  of  my  love  and 
esteem. 

Bismarck. 

Address :  Schonhausen,  near  Fischbek-on-the-Elbe. 

SCHONHAUSEN,  January  4,  1847. 

To  Herr  von  Pultkamer  : 

MOST  HONORED  SIR,— My  cordial  thanks  for  your 
letter  of  the  28th,  which  1  received  day  before  yesterday. 
Although  it  leaves  your  decision  still  in  doubt,  yet  I  gather 
from  it  permission  to  visit  you  in  Reinfeld — a  permission 
of  which  I  should  have  availed  myself  immediately  if  I  had 
not  been  restrained  for  the  moment  by  official  duties.  I 
passed  yesterday  in  an  inward  conflict  whether  I  might 
go  or  not.  But  leaving  out  of  account  the  fact  that  my 
predecessor  in  the  office  of  dike-captain  was  deposed  at 
my  instance  on  account  of  official  misconduct,  and  that  I 
must  find  in  this  circumstance  an  additional  incentive  to 
the  conscientious  discharge  of  my  duty,  I  should  not  be 
able  to  leave  here  before  the  end  of  this  week  without  vio- 
lating my  oath  of  office.  I  shall  accordingly  take  the  ex- 
press that  leaves  Stettin  on  Monday,  the  nth  inst.,  unless 

8 


1847]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK 

you  write  me  at  Stettin,  general  delivery,  that  my  visit 
for  the  present  would  be  untimely.  As  1  compute,  I  shall 
thus  arrive  in  Reinfeld  towards  evening  on  Tuesday.  But 
should  a  genuine  thaw  set  in  before  that  time,  and  the  Elbe 
rise,  I  shall  be  tied  to  my  post  here  as  sentinel.  Having 
no  deputy,  1  cannot  leave  it  in  that  event  under  any  con- 
ditions. Of  course  1  should  then  send  you  word  immedi- 
ately. 

You  ask  me,  most  honored  Herr  von  Puttkamer,  whether 
"my  feet  are  firmly  established."  I  can  reply  only  with 
an  affirmative  answer  to  your  next  question — that  I  am 
fixedly  and  manfully  determined  to  seek  peace  with  every 
man,  and  holiness,  without  which  no  man  shall  see  the 
Lord.  That  my  footsteps  are  as  sure  as  I  could  wish  them 
to  be,  I  dare  not  assert ;  1  regard  myself,  rather,  as  a  crip- 
ple who  will  stumble,  but  whom  the  grace  of  the  Lord  will 
uphold.  At  present  I  can  add  nothing  to  my  confession, 
as  1  uttered  it  in  my  previous  letter;  the  less  so  because, 
in  the  wish  to  make  the  information  1  give  in  every  point 
satisfactory  to  you,  unavoidably  a  suspicion  must  needs 
suggest  itself  that  1  might  unconsciously  become  untruth- 
ful to  you  and  to  myself.  When  1  was  writing  the  pre- 
vious letter  I  called  upon  God  to  help  me  to  clearness  in 
searching  my  inner  man,  so  that  no  untrue  word  should 
flow  from  my  pen,  and  what  1  wrote  there  is  my  open  con- 
fession before  everybody,  of  which  1  make  no  secret,  and, 
to  that  extent,  at  least,  it  is  a  sure  and  straightforward 
step. 

Accept  once  more  my  heartfelt  thanks  for  your  letter,  of 
which  I  am  the  more  sensible  the  more  I  try  to  imagine 
myself  in  the  position  of  a  father  whose  only  child  a  com- 
parative stranger  seeks  in  marriage.  A  week  hence  I 
hope  I  shall  have  travelled  half  the  distance  to  Reinfeld. 

9 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK       [Jan. 

It  is,  I  think,  the  first  time  that  1  have  wished  for  cold  weath- 
er, and  certainly  the  first  that  I  have  asked  the  dear  Lord 
to  send  it — a  prayer,  however,  at  which  my  heart  sinks 
when  I  bethink  me  how  many  prayers  of  the  poor  ask 
the  contrary.     My  most  respectful  compliments  to  your 

wife. 

Bismarck. 

JERICHOW,   Friday,   January  29,   '47. 

To  Fraulein  von  Puttkamer,  Reinfeld,  near  Zuckers, 
H inter pommern : 

ANGELA  MlA, — I  arrived  here  safely,  have  patrolled 
everything,  and  convinced  myself  to  my  sorrow  that  I 
have  come  too  soon,  as  usual.  The  ice  on  the  Elbe  is  still 
firm,  and  everything  is  in  the  best  order.  1  seize  a  half- 
hour  of  leisure,  in  a  very  bad  tavern,  to  write  you  on  very 
bad  paper,  if  only  a  few  words.  I  caught  a  hasty  glimpse 
of  my  brother  and  Malvine,  and  found  them  both  delighted 
with  the  change  that  has  taken  place  in  me.  Last  evening 
in  Berlin  I  called  on  Bernhard*  without  finding  him  at 
home,  and  thus  convinced  myself,  to  my  horror,  that,  be- 
sides the  famous  sausages,  1  had  also  mislaid  your  aunt's 
letters  from  Versin,  and  1  haven't  the  faintest  idea  where 
they  are.  If  they  were  left  in  Reinfeld  by  any  chance,  do 
send  them  immediately.  1  left  a  note  for  Bernhard,  ex- 
plaining what  a  bad  messenger  I  am,  and  I  fancy  your 
aunt  will  have  no  further  use  for  me  in  that  capacity. 

As  soon  as  the  floods  (which,  for  that  matter,  have  not 
yet  arrived)  are  over,  1  shall  fly  again  northwards,  to 
look  up  the  flower  of  the  wilderness,  as  my  cousin  puts 
it.     As  soon  as  I  am  quiet  in  Schonhausen  1  shall  write 

*  B.  v.  Puttkamer-Versin. 
10 


1847]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

you  more  in  detail ;  for  the  present  only  this  token  of  life  and 
love,  for  the  horses  stamp,  neigh,  and  rear  at  the  door,  and 
1  have  still  much  to  do  to-day.  Most  cordial  remembrances 
to  your — or,  j'ose  dire,  our — parents.  Sans  phrase,  yours 
from  top  to  toe.     Kisses  cannot  be  written.     Farewell. 

Bismarck. 


SCHONHAUSEN,  February  I,  '47. 
I  had  only  waited  for  daylight  to  write  you,  my  dear 
heart,  and  with  the  light  came  your  little  green  spirit- 
lamp  to  make  my  lukewarm  water  seethe  —  though  this 
time  it  found  it  ready  to  boil  over.  Your  pity  for  my  rest- 
less nights  at  present  is  premature,  but  1  shall  give  you 
credit  for  it.  The  Elbe  still  lies  turbid  and  growling  in 
her  ice- bonds :  the  spring's  summons  to  burst  them  is  not 
yet  loud  enough  for  her.  1  say  to  the  weather :  "  If  you 
would  only  be  cold  or  warm!  But  you  stay  continually 
at  freezing-point,  and  at  this  rate  the  matter  may  long 
drag  on."  For  the  present  my  activity  is  limited  to  send- 
ing out,  far  and  wide,  from  the  warm  seat  at  the  writing- 
table,  diverse  conjurations,  whose  magic  starts  quantities 
of  fascines,  boards,  wheelbarrows,  etc.,  from  inland  tow- 
ards the  Elbe,  perchance  to  serve  as  a  prosaic  dam  in 
restraint  of  the  poetical  foaming  of  the  flood.  After 
I  had  spent  the  morning  in  this  useful  rather  than  agree- 
able correspondence,  my  resolve  was  to  chat  away  com- 
fortably through  the  evening  with  you,  beloved  one,  as 
though  wc  were  sitting  on  the  sofa  in  the  red  drawing- 
room;  and  with  sympathetic  attention  to  my  desire  the 
mail  kept  for  my  enjoyment  precisely  at  this  gossiping 
hour  your  letter,  which  1  should  have  received  by  good 
rights  day  before  yesterday.     You  know,  if  you  were  able 

II 


THE  LOVE   LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK      [Feb. 

to  decipher  my  inexcusably  scrawled  note  *  from  Schlawe, 
how  1  struck  a  half-drunken  crowd  of  hussar  officers  there, 
who  disturbed  me  in  my  writing.  In  the  train  1  had,  with 
my  usual  bad  luck,  a  lady  vis-a-vis,  and  beside  me  two 
very  stout,  heavily  fur-clad  passengers,  the  nearer  of  whom 
was  a  direct  descendant  of  Abraham  into  the  bargain,  and 
put  me  in  a  bitter  humor  against  all  his  race  by  a  disagree- 
able movement  of  his  left  elbow. 

1  found  my  brother  in  his  dressing-gown,  and  he  em- 
ployed the  five  minutes  of  our  interview  very  completely, 
according  to  his  habit,  in  emptying  a  woolsack  full  of  vexa- 
tious news  about  Kniephof  before  me:  disorderly  inspect- 
ors, a  lot  of  damaged  sheep,  distillers  drunk  every  da}7, 
thoroughbred  colts  (the  prettiest,  of  course)  come  to  grief, 
and  rotten  potatoes,  fell  in  a  rolling  torrent  from  his  oblig- 
ingly opened  mouth  upon  my  somewhat  travel-worn  self. 
On  my  brother's  account  1  must  affect  and  utter  some 
exclamations  of  terror  and  complaint,  for  my  indifferent 
manner  on  receiving  news  of  misfortune  vexes  him,  and 
as  long  as  I  do  not  express  surprise  he  has  ever  new  and 
still  worse  news  in  stock.  This  time  he  attained  his  ob- 
ject, at  least  in  my  inner  man,  and  when  1  took  my  seat 
next  to  the  Jewish  elbow  in  green  fur  I  was  in  a  right  bad 
humor;  especially  the  colt  distressed  me — an  animal  as 
pretty  as  a  picture  and  three  37ears  old.  Not  before  getting 
out  of  doors  did  1  become  conscious  of  the  ingratitude  of 
my  heart,  and  the  thought  of  the  unmerited  happiness 
that  had  become  mine  a  fortnight  earlier  again  won  the 
mastery  in  me.  In  Stettin  1  found  drinking,  gambling 
friends.  William  Ramin  took  occasion  to  say,  apropos 
of  a  remark  about  reading  the  Bible,  "Tut!    In  Reinfeld 

*  This  note  has  been  lost. 
12 


1847]      THE   LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK 

I'd  speak  like  that,  too,  if  1  were  in  your  place,  but  to  believe 
you  can  impose  on  your  oldest  acquaintances  is  amusing." 
1  found  my  sister  very  well  and  full  of  joy  about  you  and 
me.  She  wrote  to  you,  1  think,  before  she  received  your 
letter.  Arnim  is  full  of  anxiety  lest  1  become  "pious." 
He  kept  looking  at  me  all  the  time  earnestly  and  thought- 
fully, with  sympathetic  concern,  as  one  looks  at  a  dear 
friend  whom  one  would  like  to  save  and  yet  almost  gives 
up  for  lost.  1  have  seldom  seen  him  so  tender.  Very 
clever  people  have  a  curious  manner  of  viewing  the  world. 
In  the  evening  (1  hope  you  did  not  write  so  late)  1  drank 
your  health  in  the  foaming  grape-juice  of  Sillery,  in  com- 
pany with  half  a  dozen  Silesian  counts,  Schaffgotsch 
and  others,  at  the  Hotel  de  Rome,  and  convinced  myself 
Friday  morning  that  the  ice  on  the  Elbe  was  still  strong 
enough  to  bear  my  horse's  weight,  and  that,  so  far  as  the 
freshet  was  concerned,  1  might  to-day  be  still  at  your  blue 
or  black  side*  if  other  current  official  engagements  had 
not  also  claimed  my  presence.  Snow  has  fallen  very 
industriously  all  day  long,  and  the  country  is  white  once 
more,  without  severe  cold.  When  I  arrived  it  was  all 
free  from  snow  on  this  side  of  Brandenburg;  the  air  was 
warm  and  the  people  were  ploughing;  it  was  as  though 
I  had  travelled  out  of  winter  into  opening  spring,  and  yet 
within  me  the  short  springtime  had  changed  to  winter, 
for  the  nearer  I  came  to  Schonhausen  the  more  oppressive 
1  found  the  thought  of  entering  upon  the  old  loneliness 
once  more,  for  who  knows  how  long.  Pictures  of  a  wasted 
past  arose  in  me  as  though  they  would  banish  me  from  you. 
1  was  on  the  verge  of  tears,  as  when,  after  a  school  vacation, 
1  caught  sight  of  Berlin's  towers  from  the  train.     The 

*  In  subsequent  letters  he  speaks  of  her  "  blue-gray-black  eyes." 

13 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Feb. 

comparison  of  my  situation  with  that  in  which  1  was  on 
the  ioth,  when  1  travelled  the  same  line  in  the  opposite 
direction ;  the  conviction  that  my  solitude  was,  strictly 
speaking,  voluntary,  and  that  1  could  at  any  time,  albeit 
through  a  resolve  smacking  of  insubordination  and  a 
forty  hours'  journey,  put  an  end  to  it,  made  me  see  once 
more  that  my  heart  is  ungrateful,  dismayed,  and  resentful ; 
for  soon  I  said  to  myself,  in  the  comfortable  fashion  of  the 
accepted  lover,  that  even  here  I  am  no  longer  lonely,  and 
1  was  happy  in  the  consciousness  of  being  loved  by  you, 
my  angel,  and,  in  return  for  the  gift  of  your  love,  of  belong- 
ing to  you,  not  merely  in  vassalage,  but  with  my  inmost 
heart.  On  reaching  the  village  1  felt  more  distinctly  than 
ever  before  what  a  beautiful  thing  it  is  to  have  a  home — 
a  home  with  which  one  is  identified  by  birth,  memory, 
and  love.  The  sun  shone  bright  on  the  stately  houses 
of  the  villagers,  and  their  portly  inmates  in  long  coats 
and  the  gayly  dressed  women  in  short  skirts  gave  me 
a  much  more  friendly  greeting  than  usual ;  on  every  face 
there  seemed  to  be  a  wish  for  my  happiness,  which  I 
invariably  converted  into  thanks  to  you.  Gray -haired 
Bellin's*  fat  face  wore  a  broad  smile,  and  the  trusty  old 
soul  shed  tears  as  he  patted  me  paternally  on  the  back 
and  expressed  his  satisfaction;  his  wife,  of  course,  wept 
most  violently;  even  Odin  was  more  demonstrative  than 
usual,  and  his  paw  on  my  coat-collar  proved  incontestably 
that  it  was  muddy  weather.  Half  an  hour  later  Miss 
Breeze  was  galloping  with  me  on  the  Elbe,  manifestly 
proud  to  carry  your  affianced,  for  never  before  did  she  so 
scornfully  smite  the  earth  with  her  hoof.  Fortunately 
you  cannot  judge,  my  heart,  in  what  a  mood  of  dreary 

*  Inspector  at  Schonhausen. 

14 


1847]      THE   LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK 

dulness  1  used  to  re-enter  my  house  after  a  journey ;  what 
depression  overmastered  me  when  the  door  of  my  room 
yawned  at  me  and  the  mute  furniture  in  the  silent 
apartments  confronted  me,  bored  like  myself.  The 
emptiness  of  my  existence  was  never  clearer  to  me  than 
in  such  moments,  until  1  seized  a  book — though  none  of 
them  was  sad  enough  for  me — or  mechanically  engaged  in 
any  routine  work.  My  preference  was  to  come  home 
at  night,  so  that  1  could  go  to  sleep  immediately."  Ach, 
Gott! — and  now?  What  a  different  view  1  take  of  every- 
thing— not  merely  that  which  concerns  you  as  well,  and 
because  it  concerns  you,  or  will  concern  you  also  (although 
1  have  been  bothering  myself  for  two  days  with  the  ques- 
tion where  your  writing-desk  shall  stand),  but  my 
whole  view  of  life  is  a  new  one,  and  1  am  cheerful  and 
interested  even  in  my  work  on  the  dike  and  police  matters. 
This  change,  this  new  life,  I  owe,  next  to  God,  to  you, 
ma  tres  chere,  mon  adoree  Jeanneton — to  you  who  do  not 
heat  me  occasionally,  like  an  alcohol  flame,  but  work  in 
my  heart  like  warming  fire.     Some  one  is  knocking. 

Visit  from  the  co-director,  who  complains  of  the  people 
who  will  not  pay  their  school  taxes.  The  man  asks  me 
whether  my  fiancee  is  tall. 

"Oh  yes;  rather." 

"Well,  an  acquaintance  of  mine  saw  you  last  summer 
with  several  ladies  in  the  Harz  Mountains,  and  you  pre- 
ferred to  converse  with  the  tallest,  that  must  have  been 
your  fiancee." 

The  tallest  woman  in  your  party  was,  I  fancy,  Frau  von 
Mittelstadt.  .  .  .  The  Harz!     The  Harz! 

*  Compare  the  enclosure,  in  which  I  used  often  to  find  the  expression 
of  my  inmost  thought.  Now,  never  any  more.  (Enclosed  was  a 
copy  of  Byron's  poem,  "  To  Inez/') 

15 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK       [Feb. 

After  a  thorough  consultation  with  Frau  Bellin,  I  have 
decided  to  make  no  special  changes  here  for  the  present, 
but  to  wait  until  we  can  hear  the  wishes  of  the  lady  of  the 
house  in  the  matter,  so  that  we  may  have  nothing  to  be 
sorry  for.  In  six  months  I  hope  we  shall  know  what  we 
have  to  do. 

It  is  impossible  as  yet  to  sav  anything  definite  about 
our  next  meeting.  Just  now  it  is  raining;  if  that  con- 
tinues the  Elbe  may  be  played  out  in  a  week  or  two,  and 
then.  .  .  .  Still  no  news  whatever  about  the  Landtag. 
Most  cordial  greetings  and  assurances  of  my  love  to  your 
parents,  and  the  former — the  latter,  too,  if  you  like — to  all 
your  cousins,  women  friends,  etc.  What  have  you  done 
with  Annchen?*  My  forgetting  the  Versin  letters  dis- 
turbs me;  1  did  not  mean  to  make  such  a  bad  job  of  it. 
Have  they  been  found?     Farewell,  my  treasure,  my  heart. 

consolation  of  my  eyes. 

Your  faithful  BISMARCK. 

Another  picture,  a  description  of  a  storm  in  the  Alps, 
which  catches  my  eye  as  1  turn  over  the  pages  of  the  book, 
and  pleases  me  much : 

"  The  sky  is  changed,  and  such  a  change!     0  night, 
And  storm,  and  darkness,  ye  are  wondrous  strong, 
Yet  lovely  in  your  strength,  as  is  the  light 
Of  a  dark  eye  in  woman!     Far  along 
From  peak  to  peak,  the  rattling  crags  among, 
Leaps  the  live  thunder;  not  from  one  lone  cloud, 
But  every  mountain  now  has  found  a  tongue, 
And  Jura  answers  through  her  misty  shroud — 
Back  to  the  joyous  Alps,  who  call  to  her  aloud. 

*  Fraulein  von  Blumenthal,  afterwards  Frau  von  Bohn. 

16 


V^w1- ^ 


*  * 


gAc 


^ 


JOHANNA    VON    I'lTTKAMF.R 
1847 


1847]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

And  this  is  in  the  night : — most  glorious  night ! 

Thou  wert  not  sent  for  slumber!  let  me  be 

A  sharer  in  thy  fierce  and  fair  delight — 

A  portion  of  the  tempest  and  of  thee! 

How  the  lit  lake  shines,  a  phosphoric  sea, 

And  the  big  rain  comes  dancing  to  the  earth! 

And  now  again  'tis  black,  and  now  the  glee 

Of  the  loud  hills  shakes  with  its  mountain-mirth, 

As  if  they  did  rejoice  o'er  a  young  earthquake's  birth." 

On  such  a  night  the  suggestion  comes  uncommonly 
near  to  me  that  1  wish  to  be  a  sharer  in  the  delight,  a  portion 
of  tempest,  of  night  ;*  mounted  on  a  runaway  horse,  to  dash 
down  the  cliffs  into  the  falls  of  the  Rhine,  or  something 
similar.  A  pleasure  of  that  kind,  unfortunately,  one  can 
enjoy  but  once  in  this  life.  There  is  something  intoxi- 
cating in  nocturnal  storms.  Your  nights,  dearest,  I  hope 
you  regard,  however,  as  sent  for  slumber,  not  for  writing* 
I  see  with  regret  that  I  write  English  still  more  illegibly 
than  German.  Once  more,  farewell,  my  heart.  To-mor- 
row noon  I  am  invited  to  be  the  guest  of  Frau  Brauchitsch, 
presumably  so  that  I  may  be  duly  and  thoroughly  ques- 
tioned about  you  and  yours.     I'll  tell  them  as  much  as  I 

please.     Je  t'embrasse  mille  fois. 

Your  own 

B. 

SCHONHAUSEN,  February  7,  '47. 

My   HEART, — Just  returned   through  a  wild,  drifting 

snow-storm    from  an  appointment   (which    unfortunately 

was  occasioned  by  the  burning  out  of  a  poor  family). 

I  have  warmed  myself  at  your  dear  letter;  in  the  twilight, 

*  English  in  the  original. 
B  17 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Feb. 

even,  I  recognized  your  "Right  honorable."  All  my 
limbs  are  twitching  with  eagerness  to  be  off  to  Berlin 
again  to-day,  and  to  characterize  the  dikes  and  floods  in 
terms  of  the  unutterable  Poberow*  dialect.  The  inex- 
orable thermometer  stands  at  2  below  freezing-point,  ac- 
companied with  howling  wind  and  large  flakes,  as  though 
it  would  soon  rain.  What  is  duty?  Compare  Falstaff's 
expressions  touching  honor.  At  any  rate,  1  shall  write 
you  straightway,  even  if  1  ruin  myself  in  postage,  and  no 
sensible  thoughts  find  their  way  through  the  debris  of  the 
fire  that  still  has  possession  of  my  imagination.  After 
reading  your  last  remark  1  have  just  lit  my  cigar  and 
stirred  the  ink.  First,  like  a  business-man,  to  answer 
your  letter.  1  begin  with  a  request  smacking  of  the 
official  desk — namely,  that  when  you  write  you  will,  if 
you  please,  expressly  state  what  letters  you  have  received 
from  me,  giving  their  dates;  otherwise  one  is  uncertain 
as  to  the  regular  forwarding  of  them,  as  I  am  in  doubt 
whether  you  have  received  my  first  letter,  which  1  wrote 
the  day  of  my  arrival  here,  while  on  a  business  trip,  in 
Jerichow,  if  1  mistake  not,  on  very  bad  paper,  Friday,  the 
29th  of  January.  1  am  very  thankful  that  you  do  not 
write  in  the  evening,  my  love,  even  if  1  am  myself  to  suffer 
thereby.  Every  future  glance  into  your  gray-blue-black 
eye  with  its  large  pupil  will  compensate  me  for  possibly 
delayed  or  shortened  letters. 

If  1  could  only  dream  of  you  when  you  do  of  me!  But 
recently  1  do  not  dream  at  all — shockingly  healthy  and 
prosaic;  or  does  my  soul  fly  to  Reinfeld  in  the  night  and 
associate  with  yours?  In  that  case  it  can  certainly  not 
dream  here;  but  it  ought  to  tell  about  its  journey  in  the 

*  Von  Puttkamer-Poberow. 
18 


1847]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

morning,  whereas  the  wayward  thing  is  as  silent  about 
its  nocturnal  employments  as  though  it,  too,  slept  like  a 
badger. 

Your  reminder  of  the  bore,  Fritz,  with  the  letter-pouch 
transports  me  to  Reinfeld  and  makes  me  long  still  more 
eagerly  for  the  time  when  1  can  once  again  hug  my  black 
Jeannette  for  my  good  -  morning  at  the  desk.  About  the 
letter  with  the  strange  address,  evidently  in  a  woman's 
hand,  1  should  like  to  tell  you  a  romantic  story,  but  1  must 
destroy  every  illusion  with  the  explanation  that  it  comes 
from  a  man  who  used  to  be  a  friend  of  mine,  who,  if  1  do 
not  mistake,  once  in  Kniephof  took  a  copy  of  an  Italian 
address  that  1  received.  Again  a  curtain  behind  which 
one  fancies  there  is  all  the  poetry  in  the  world,  and  finds 
the  flattest  prose.  (1  once  saw  in  Aix-la-Chapelle,  while 
strolling  about  the  stage,  the  Princess  of  Eboli,  after  I  had 
just  spent  my  sympathy  upon  her  as  she  lay  overwhelmed 
and  fainting  at  the  queen's  feet  in  one  of  the  scenes,  eat- 
ing bread  and  butter  and  cracking  bad  jokes  behind  the 
scenes.)  That  cousin  Woedtke  is  fond  of  me,  and  that  the 
Versin  sausage  and  letter  affair  is  all  right,  1  am  glad  to 
learn. 

1  need  not  assure  you  that  1  have  the  most  heartfelt 
sympathy  for  the  sufferings  of  your  good  mother;  1  hope 
rest  and  summer  will  affect  her  health  favorably,  and  that 
she  will  recover  after  a  while,  with  the  joy  of  seeing  her 
children  happy.  When  she  is  here  she  shall  not  have  any 
steps  to  go  up  to  reach  you,  and  shall  live  directly  next  to 
you. 

Why  do  you  wear  mournful  black  in  dress  and  heart, 
my  angel?  Cultivate  the  green  of  hope  that  to-day  made 
right  joyous  revelry  in  me  at  sight  of  its  external  image, 
when  the  gardener  placed  the  first  messengers  of  spring, 

19 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK       [Feb. 

hyacinths  and  crocus,  on  my  window-ledge.  Et  dis 
moi  done,  pourquoi  es-tu  paresseuse?  Pourquoi  ne  fais- 
tu  pas  de  niusique?  1  fancied  you  playing  c-dur  when  the 
hollow,  melting  wind  howls  through  the  dry  twigs  of  the 
lindens,  and  d-moll  when  the  snow-flakes  chase  in  fantastic 
whirls  around  the  corners  of  the  old  tower,  and,  after  their 
desperation  is  spent,  cover  the  graves  with  their  winding- 
sheet.  Oh,  were  1  but  Keudell,  I'd  play  now  all  day  long, 
and  the  tones  would  bear  me  over  the  Oder,  Rega,  Persante, 
Wipper  —  1  know  not  whither.  Apropos  de  paresse,  1 
am  going  to  permit  myself  to  make  one  more  request  of 
you,  but  with  a  preface.  When  I  ask  you  for  anything 
1  add  (do  not  take  it  for  blasphemy  or  mockery)  thy  will 
be  done — your  will,  1  mean;  and  1  do  not  love  you  less, 
nor  am  1  vexed  with  you  for  a  second  if  you  do  not  fulfil 
my  request.  1  love  you  as  you  are,  and  as  you  choose 
to  be.  After  1  have,  by  wa}7  of  preface,  said  so  much 
with  inmost,  unadorned  truth,  without  hypocrisy  or  flattery, 
1  beg  you  to  pay  some  attention  to  French — not  much, 
but  somewhat — by  reading  French  things  that  interest 
you,  and,  what  is  not  clear  to  you,  make  it  clear  with  the 
dictionary.  If  it  bores  you,  stop  it;  but  lest  it  bore  you, 
try  it  with  books  that  interest  you,  whatever  they  may  be — 
romances  or  anything  else.  1  do  not  know  your  mother's 
views  on  such  reading,  but  in  my  opinion  there  is  nothing 
that  you  cannot  read  to  yourself.  I  do  not  ask  this  for 
my  own  sake,  for  we  will  understand  each  other  in  our 
mother  tongue,  but  in  your  intercourse  with  the  world 
you  will  not  seldom  find  occasions  when  it  will  be  dis- 
agreeable or  even  mortifying  if  you  are  unfamiliar  with 
French.  1  do  not  know,  indeed,  to  what  degree  this  is 
true  of  you,  but  reading  is  in  any  case  a  way  to  keep 
what  you  have  and  to  acquire  more.     If  it  pleases  you, 

20 


1847]      THE    LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

we  shall  find  a  way  for  you  to  become  more  fluent  in  talking, 
too,  than,  as  you  say,  you  are  now.  If  you  do  not  like  it, 
rely  with  entire  confidence  on  the  preface  to  my  request. 

I  wrote  to  poor  Moritz  yesterday,  and,  after  reading  your 
description  of  his  sadness,  my  letter  lies  like  a  stone  on 
my  conscience,  for,  like  a  heartless  egotist,  I  mocked  his 
pain  by  describing  my  happiness,  and  in  five  pages  did 
not  refer  to  his  mourning  by  even  a  syllable,  speaking  of 
myself  again  and  again,  and  using  him  as  father-confessor. 
He  is  an  awkward  comforter  who  does  not  himself  feel 
pain  sympathetically,  or  not  vividly  enough.  My  first 
grief  was  the  passionate,  selfish  one  at  the  loss  1  had  sus- 
tained ;  for  Marie,*  so  far  as  she  is  concerned,  I  do  not  feel 
it,  because  I  know  that  she  is  well  provided  for,  but  that 
my  sympathy  with  the  suffering  of  my  warmest  friend, 
to  whom  I  owe  eternal  thanks,  is  not  strong  enough  to 
produce  a  word  of  comfort,  of  strong  consolation  from 
overflowing  feeling,  that  burdens  me  sorely.  Weep  not, 
my  angel;  let  your  sympathy  be  strong  and  full  of  con- 
fidence in  God;  give  him  real  consolation  with  encourage- 
ment, not  with  tears,  and,  if  you  can,  doubly,  for  yoursi  U 
and  for  your  thankless  friend  whose  heart  is  just  row 
filled  with  you  and  has  room  for  nothing  else.  Are  you 
a  withered  leaf,  a  faded  garment?  I  will  see  whether  my 
love  can  foster  the  verdure  once  more,  can  brighten  up  the 
colors.  You  must  put  forth  fresh  leaves,  and  the  old  ones 
1  shall  lay  between  the  pages  of  the  book  of  my  heart  so 
that  we  may  find  them  when  we  read  there,  as  tokens  of 
fond  recollection.  You  have  fanned  to  life  again  the  coal 
that  under  ashes  and  ddbris  still  glowed  in  me;  it  shall 
envelop  you  in  life-giving  flames. 

*  Frau  von  Blanckenburg. 
21 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK       [Feb. 

he  souper  est  servi,  the  evening  is  gone,  and  1  have 
done  nothing  but  chat  with  you  and  smoke:  is  that  not 
becoming  employment  for  the  dike-captain?     Why  not? 

A  mysterious  letter  from lies  before  me.     He  writes 

in  a  tone  new  for  him ;  admits  that  he  perceives  that  he  did 
many  a  wrong  to  his  first  wife;  did  not  always  rightly 
guide  and  bear  with  her  weakness;  was  no  prop  to  the 
"child/'  and  believes  himself  absolved  by  this  severe  cas- 
tigation.  Quest  ce  qu'il  me  chante?  Has  the  letter  un- 
dergone transformation  in  the  Christian  climate  of  Rein- 
feld,  or  did  it  leave  the  hand  of  this  once  shallow  buffoon 
in  its  present  form?  He  asserts,  moreover,  that  he  lives 
in  happiness  never  dreamed  of  with  his  present  wife,  whose 
acquaintance  he  made  a  week  before  the  engagement,  and 
whom  he  married  six  weeks  after  the  same  event:  a  hap- 
piness which  his  first  marriage  has  taught  him  rightly  to 
prize.  Do  you  know  the  story  of  the  French  tiler  who  falls 
from  the  roof,  and,  in  passing  the  second  stoty,  cries  out, 
"  Ca  va  bien,  pourvu  que  ga  dure?"  Think,  only,  if  we  had 
been  betrothed  on  the  12th  of  October,  '44,  and,  on  Novem- 
ber 23d,  had  married :  What  anxiety  for  mamma ! 

The  English  poems  of  mortal  misery  trouble  me  no  more 
now;  that  was  of  old,  when  1  looked  out  into  nothing — 
cold  and  stiff,  snow-drifts  in  my  heart.  Now  a  black  cat 
plays  with  it  in  the  sunshine,  as  though  with  a  rolling 
skein,  and  I  like  to  see  its  rolling.  I  will  give  you,  at  the 
end  of  this  letter,  a  few  more  verses  belonging  to  that,  period, 
of  which  fragmentary  copies  are  still  preserved,  as  I  see, 
in  my  portfolio.  You  may  allow  me  to  read  them  still; 
they  harm  me  no  more.  Thine  eyes  have  still  (and  will 
always  have)  a  charm  for  me*     Please  write  me  in  your 

*  English  in  the  original. 
22 


1847]      THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK 

next  letter  about  the  uncertain  marriage-plans.  I  believe, 
by  Jove!*  that  the  matter  is  becoming  serious.  Until  the 
day  is  fixed,  it  still  seems  to  me  as  though  we  had  been 
dreaming;  or  have  I  really  passed  a  fortnight  in  Rein- 
feld,  and  held  you  in  these  arms  of  mine?  Has  Finette 
been  found  again?  Do  you  remember  our  conversation 
when  we  went  out  with  her  in  leash — when  you,  little  rogue, 
said  you  would  have  "  given  me  the  mitten  "  had  not  God 
taken  pity  on  me  and  permitted  me  at  least  a  peep  through 
the  keyhole  of  His  door  oi  mercy?  That  came  into  my 
mind  when  I  was  reading  I.  Cor.  vii.  13  and  14  yesterday. 
A  commentator  says  of  the  passage  that,  in  all  relations 
of  life,  Christ  regards  the  kingdom  of  God  as  the  more 
powerful,  victorious,  finally  overcoming  all  opposition, 
and  the  kingdom  of  darkness  as  powerless,  falling  in  ruins 
ever  more  and  more.  Yet,  how  do  most  of  you  have  so 
little  confidence  in  your  faith,  and  wrap  it  carefully  in  the 
cotton  of  isolation,  lest  it  take  cold  from  any  draught  of 
the  world ;  while  others  are  vexed  with  you,  and  proclaim 
that  you  are  people  who  esteem  yourselves  too  holy  to  come 
into  contact  with  publicans,  etc.  If  every  one  should  think 
so  who  believes  he  has  found  truth — and  many  serious, 
upright,  humble  seekers  do  believe  they  find  it  elsewhere, 
or  in  another  form — what  a  Pennsylvania  solitary-con- 
finement prison  would  God's  beautiful  earth  become,  di- 
vided up  into  thousands  and  thousands  of  exclusive  co- 
teries by  insuperable  partitions !  Compare,  also,  Rom.  xiv. 
22  and  xv.  2 ;  also,  particularly,  I.  Cor.  iv.  5 ;  viii.  2 ;  ix.  20  ; 
also  xii.  4  and  the  following;  further,  xiii.  2;  all  in 
the  First  Ep.  to  the  Cor.,  which  seems  to  me  to  apply 
to  the  subject.     We  talked,  during  that  walk,  or  another 

•English  in  the  original. 
23 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK       [Feb. 

one,  a  great  deal  about  "  the  sanctity  of  doing  good  works." 
I  will  not  inundate  you  with  Scripture  passages  in  this 
connection,  but  only  tell  you  how  splendid  I  find  the  Epistle 
of  James.  (Matt.  xxv.  34  and  following;  Rom.  ii.  6;  II. 
Cor.  v.  10;  Rom.  ii.  13;  I.  Epistle  of  John  iii.  7,  and  count- 
less others.)  It  is,  indeed,  unprofitable  to  base  arguments 
upon  separate  passages  of  Scripture  apart  from  their  con- 
nection; but  there  are  many  who  are  honestly  striving, 
and  who  attach  more  importance  to  passages  like  James 
ii.  14  than  to  Mark  xvi.  16,  and  for  the  latter  passage 
offer  expositions,  holding  them  to  be  correct,  which  do  not 
literally  agree  with  yours.  To  what  interpretation  does 
the  word  "  faith  "  not  lend  itself,  both  when  taken  alone  and 
in  connection  with  that  which  the  Scriptures  command  us 
"to  believe,"  in  every  single  instance  where  they  employ 
the  word!  Against  my  will,  I  fall  into  spiritual  discus- 
sion and  controversies.  Among  Catholics  the  Bible  is  read 
not  at  all,  or  with  great  precaution,  bj7  the  laity ;  it  is  ex- 
pounded only  by  the  priests,  who  have  concerned  them- 
selves all  their  lives  with  the  study  of  the  original  sources. 
In  the  end,  all  depends  upon  the  interpretation.  Concert 
in  Biitow  amuses  me :  the  idea  of  Biitow  is,  to  my  mind, 
the  opposite  of  all  music. 

I  have  been  quite  garrulous,  have  I  not?  Now  I  must 
disturb  some  document-dust,  and  sharpen  my  pen  afresh 
to  the  police-official  style,  for  the  president  of  the  provincial 
court  and  the  government.  Could  I  but  enclose  myself 
herewith,  or  go  along  in  a  salmon-basket  as  mail-matter! 
Till  we  meet  again,  dearest  black  oner'  I  love  you,  c'est 
tout  dire. 

Bismarck. 

*  English  in  the  original. 
24 


1847]       THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 
(I  am  forgetting  the  English  verses) : 

"  Sad  dreams,  as  when  the  spirit  of  our  youth 
Returns  in  sleep,  sparkling  with  all  the  truth 
And  innocence,  once  ours,  and  leads  us  back 
In  mournful  mockery  over  the  shining  track 
Of  our  young  life,  and  points  out  every  ray 
Of  hope  and  peace  we've  lost  upon  the  way!" 

By  Moore,  1  think;  perhaps  Byron. 

"To-morrow,   and  to-morrow,   and   to-morrow 
Creeps  in  this  petty  pace  from  day  to  day, 
To  the  last  syllable  of  recorded  time  ; 
And  all  our   yesterdays   have  lighted  fools 
The  way  to  dusty  death.     Out,  out,  brief  candle  ! 
Life's  but  a  walking  shadow,  a  poor  player 
That  struts  and  frets  his  hour  upon  the  stage, 
And  then  is  heard  no  more :  it  is  a  tale 
Told  by  an  idiot,  full  of  sound  and  fury, 
Signifying  nothing." 

Cordial  remembrances  to  your  parents  and  the  Redden- 
tin  folk. 

SCHONHAUSEN,  February  13,  1847. 
GlOVANNA  MlA, —  ...  A  tiresome  day  this  has  been 
for  me,  as  the  provincial  counsellor  Alvensleben  and  his 
secretary  were  with  me  on  business  from  morning  till 
mid -day;  but  as  1  found  myself  bored,  that  was  pre- 
cisely the  right  mood  for  putting  in  order  heaps  of  papers 
that  have  come  from  Kniephof.  Among  many  a  dear 
letter,  many  a  sad  or  gay  reminder  of  the  past,  1  found 

25 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK       [Feb. 

two  things  which  1  send  you,  that  you  may  look  through 
them,  if  they  interest  you,  as  contributions  to  the  his- 
tory of  your  future  life  -  companion.  One  of  them  is  a 
letter  *  of  my  Carlsburg  cousin,f  Caroline's  J  mother,  which 
she  wrote  to  me  when  1,  then  in  Potsdam,  wanted  to  take 
leave  of  the  service.  Of  my  answer  1  sent  my  father  at 
his  request  an  extract,  which  1  find  again  here.  1  was 
then  twenty -three  years  old  (delightful  age:  still  a  lot 
of  illusions).  1  was  afterwards  at  times  sorry  that  1  did 
retire  then,  and  two  years  ago  1  even  made  the  attempt 
to  take  a  fresh  start  towards  a  ministerial  post,  but  rather 
from  ennui  than  from  an  inward  call.  On  the  whole,  the 
way  that  God  has  led  me  will  prove  to  have  been  the  best 
for  me,  and  in  the  main  1  endorse  my  views  of  that  day,  in 
reference  to  the  misere  of  our  national  service,  even  now. 
Only  1  have  through  experience  got  rid  of  my  self-decep- 
tion in  regard  to  the  Arcadian  happiness  of  a  country- 
landlord  incarnate,  with  his  double-entry  book  -  keeping 
and  chemical  studies.  Over  this  occupation  there  lay  at 
that  time  for  me  still  the  beautiful  blue  mist  of  distant 
mountains.  Sometimes  even  now,  when  one  of  my  fellow- 
students  achieves  a  rapid  success  in  his  career,  1  am  sen- 
sible of  vsome  mortification  in  the  thought,  "1  also  might 
have  had  that,"  but  the  conviction  then  always  resumes 
its  sway  in  me  that  a  person  seeks  happiness  in  vain  so 
long  as  he  seeks  it  outside  of  himself.  (1  look  upon  our- 
selves in  this  as  one  person,  and  "  in  you  "  is  not  "  outside 
of  myself.")  1  offered  my  brother  the  Pomeranian  estates 
at  that  time  for  150,000  thaler,  but  he  would  not  take  them 
at  that  price;  now  in  the  division  we  have  reckoned  them 
at  200,000,  and  even  that  is  cheap,  for  Kniephof  alone, 

*  Not  extant.  f  Countess  Bismarck-Bohlen. 

%  Frau  von  Malortin,  n£e  Bismarck-Bohlen. 

26 


1847]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

which  is  put  at  60,000  in  this  estimate,  is  worth  between 
80,000  and  90,000.  We  have,  indeed,  spent  20,000  thaler 
more  on  it  since  that  time ;  surely  enough,  by  God's  blessing, 
if  we  are  sensible,  to  enable  us  to  do  good  to  many  people. 
How  many  a  government  counsellor  lives  in  town  in  elegant 
fashion  with  wife  and  child  on  a  salary  of  1000  thaler,  or 
a  little  more,  and  must  pay  in  cash  for  the  things  that 
we  have  here  for  nothing  —  dwelling,  wood,  light,  food 
and  maintenance,  for  himself,  his  people,  and  horses,  if 
he  has  any.  And  yet  I'homme  propose,  Dieu  dispose. 
Who  can  look  into  the  future  ?  Who  can  tell  whether 
anxiety  and  need  may  not  press  close  upon  us  also  one 
day?  The  richest  may  have  to  turn  his  back  upon  his 
homestead.  In  that  event  we  shall  be  satisfied  if  we  only 
have  each  other  and  trust  in  God — through  joy  and 
sorrow,  through  glory  and  shame.  Remember  me  in  the 
kindest  manner  to  your  parents,  and  may  God  guard  you 
— my  star,  for  whom  my  heart  is  ever  sick  with  longing. 
Farewell,  dearest,  and  make  me  a  visit  by  letter  soon : 
I  look  forward  to  the  arrival  of  the  mail  with  impatience 
every  day. 

B. 

GREIFSWALD,   September  29,   1838.* 
To  the  Captain  of  Horse  and  Knight,  etc.,  Herr  von  Bis- 
ma  ck,  Right  Honorable,  Berlin,  Unter  den  Linden, 
No.  5  (al.  Bellevue  Strasse,  22). 

DEAR  FATHER,— Theodoref  will  have  told  you  that 
he  left  me  here  well  and  cheerful,  and  I  most  sincerely  hope 
that  he  found  you  in  the  same  condition,  and  that  mother's 
health  has  improved  as  much  as  the  last  news  I  had  of  her 

*  Compare  page  26.  t  Count  Bismarck-Bohlen. 

27 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK    [Sept. 

at  Lienchen's  permitted  me  to  hope.  1  am  certainly  not 
the  man  to  reproach  others  about  letter-writing,  but  yet  1 
cannot  conceal  the  fact  that,  just  at  this  moment,  when 
the  doctor  has  given  such  an  auspicious  hope  of  permanent 
improvement  in  mother's  condition,  the  time  seems  very 
long  in  which  1  have  received  no  news  of  its  realization, 
and  1  wait  for  it  eagerly,  for  1  still  remember  how  ill  mother 
was  when  1  said  good-bye  to  her.  It  would  be  a  great 
pleasure  to  me  to  have  a  few  lines  from  mother's  own  hand 
once  more,  after  such  a  long  time.  At  any  rate,  1  shall 
get  more  detailed  news  from  Theodore  next  Wednesday, 
if  1  should  not  receive  a  letter  before  then.  That  1  am  liv- 
ing here  very  quietly  until  the  Jagers  return  from  Stargard, 
1  have  already  written  you.  Such  time  as  1  have  not  been 
in  Carlsburg,  1  pass  all  alone,  and,  according  to  rule,  here, 
for  1  have  nobody  to  run  around  with,  really,  and  that  is  a 
good  thing,  for  1  feel  more  comfortable  than  1  ever  did,  and 
can  study  without  interruption,  which  1  never  should  have 
done  in  Potsdam,  on  account  of  my  friends  and  the  service. 
At  present  I  am  chiefly  busy  with  chemistry,  at  which  I 
work  several  hours  every  day  with  a  medical  student  who 
is  getting  ready  for  his  examination.  I  have  looked  at 
some  of  the  farms  in  the  neighborhood,  which,  on  an  av- 
erage, are  in  nearly  perfect  condition,  but  almost  entirely 
devoted  to  agriculture;  and  at  table  in  the  public-house 
("  Deutsches  Haus  "  hotel)  one  hears  all  the  burly  figures 
with  red  faces,  thick  hands,  and  enviable  appetite,  who 
come  there  daily  to  the  number  of  six  or  eight,  or  more, 
speak  of  nothing  but  tillage  and  the  grain  trade.  Although 
they  all  shout  terribly  and  gesticulate  violent^,  I  rarely 
understand  what  they  say,  for  Low-German  is  commonly 
spoken,  and  very  rapidly,  so  that  I  only  distinguish,  now 
and   then,  something  like  "rape-seed,"  "oats,"  "peas," 

28 


1838]      THE  LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

"planting-machines,"  "threshing,"  "Pomeranian  last,"* 
and  "Berlin  Schapel."f  I  listen  to  this  with  a  very  in- 
telligent expression,  think  it  over,  and  dream  at  night  of 
threshed  oats,  manure,  and  stubble-rye.  All  the  Eldena 
people  are  still  out  of  town,  the  teachers  as  well  as  most  of 
the  scholars.  The  principal  of  the  agricultural  school, 
Schulz,  is  also  manager  of  the  rather  important  farm  at 
that  place;  the  latter  is,  however,  stupidly  enough,  not 
connected  with  the  school,  so  that,  though  the  students  are 
at  liberty  to  observe  what  goes  on  if  they  please,  it  is  not 
otherwise  used  for  their  instruction.  The  number  of  pu- 
pils— ninety  odd — is  too  large  to  unite  instruction  with 
practice,  according  to  the  real  design  of  the  institution.  A 
reliable  opinion  in  this  matter  cannot  be  formed  before  the 
studies  begin  again,  or  I  have,  at  least,  spoken  with  the 
principal;  but  I  hardly  believe  so  far  that  I  shall  learn 
more  in  the  lecture-rooms  there  than  from  good  books.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  principal  also  receives  some  pupils  on 
the  farm  itself;  this  is  admirably  managed;  Schulz  has 
transformed  a  large  part  of  the  land  which  had  a  cold  soil 
and  was  swampy  into  fields  that  now  pass  for  the  best  in 
the  neighborhood,  so  that  he  has  taken  in  at  the  fall  har- 
vest the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  crop  of  grain;  the  fresh 
clover  stands  up  everywhere  like  a  brush,  and,  though 
the  barns  are  large,  one  sees  four  or  five  ricks  as  high  as  a 
house  standing  in  the  fields.  Tile-kiln,  distillery,  and 
brewery  are  there,  too  —  the  two  latter  partly  destroyed 
by  fire  this  year,  however,  and  so  it  is  doubtful  whether 
they  will  be  in  operation  this  winter.  As  Schulz 's  pupil, 
one  could  certainly  learn  a  great  deal;  the  only  question 
is  whether  he  will  receive  me,  and  whether  he  will  not 

*  Last,  a  weight ;  about  4000  pounds, 
f  Schdpel,  a  measure  ;  a  quart. 

29 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK     [Sept. 

charge  a  disproportionate  tuition-fee.  Moreover,  Eldena 
is  a  good  half-mile  from  here,  and  in  winter  the  road  will 
be  bottomless.  Since  I  must  live  in  the  town  now  on  ac- 
count of  the  military,  1  shall  first  see  how  I  may  contrive 
to  hear  one  or  two  of  the  lecture-courses  there  that  are  the 
most  useful  for  me  at  present.  Besides,  I  shall  try  to  make 
such  progress  as  I  may  towards  my  goal  here  at  the  uni- 
versity and  by  study  at  home,  and,  if  1  can  get  leave  of 
absence  for  a  considerable  time,  on  one  of  the  neighboring 
farms.  It  is  a  real  pity  that  1  could  not  stay  longer  with 
mother,  instead  of  spending  these  four  weeks  here;  but 
they  had  made  hell  so  hot  for  me  in  Potsdam,  to  hurry  me 
off  as  soon  as  possible  to  the  division ;  Captain  Roder  even 
thought  I  must  march  after  them  immediately,  if  no  officer 
had  remained  behind  to  give  different  orders,  so  that  I  was 
afraid  of  having  a  bad  reception  here  because  I  had  not  come 
sooner.  Instead  of  that,  I  received,  on  inquiry,  a  very  nice 
letter  from  Captain  von  Portatius,  wherein  he  freely  grant- 
ed leave  of  absence  until  his  return.  To  return  to  Berlin 
immediately  was  very  expensive,  and  I  prefer  to  go  there 
at  Christmas-time,  if  possible.  You  expressed  a  wish  to 
see  the  rough  draft  of  my  answer  to  Lienchen's  letter,  but 
it  is  written  too  badly  "every  which  way"  for  you  to  get  a 
clear  idea  from  it.  I  prefer,  therefore,  to  give  you  a  copy 
of  the  most  essential  parts  of  the  rather  long  letter,  which 
I  beg  you  to  share  with  Bernhard  some  time,  for  he  has 
written  me  a  letter  similar  to  Lienchen's,  and  in  answering 
him  1  have  (to  avoid  writing  the  same  thing  three  times) 
referred  him  to  this  copy  of  my  letter.  The  self-same  be- 
gins with  a  string  of  apologies,  regrets,  and  expressions 
of  gratitude  which  will  not  interest  you  so  much,  and  I 
shall  only  repeat  that  which  was  particularly  designed  for 
the  defence  of  my  views : 

30 


1838]      THE    LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

.  .  .  — that  the  necessity  did  not  exist  for  me 
to  become  a  country  squire,  is  my  opinion,  too;  but,  on 
the  other  hand,  you  will  not  seriously  assert,  although 
I  ascribe  to  you  pronounced  bureaucratic  views,  that  the 
duties  to  his  country  which  are  incumbent  upon  every  one 
exactly  require  of  me  that  1  shall  become  a  government 
official.  Rather,  I  believe,  1  satisfy  these  obligations 
completely  if,  in  whatever  calling  I  choose,  I  do  all  that 
can  be  expected  of  a  patriotic  citizen.  I  believed,  then, 
that  I  could  be  quite  independent  in  making  such  a 
choice  of  profession  as,  with  my  inclinations  and  con- 
nections, seemed  to  me  most  sensible.  That  from  the 
first  the  nature  of  the  occupation  and  of  subordinate 
places  in  our  national  official  life  has  not  appealed  to 
me;  that  1  do  not  think  it  unqualified  good  fortune  to 
be  an  office-holder  or  even  minister ;  that  it  appears  to  me 
just  as  respectable  and  sometimes  more  useful  to  raise 
grain  than  to  write  administrative  orders;  that  my  am- 
bition strives  rather  not  to  obey  than  to  command :  these 
are  facta  for  which  1  can  allege  no  reason  beyond  my 
personal  taste,  and  yet  so  it  is.  Of  all  the  considera- 
tions that  might  have  moved  me  to  combat  this  disin- 
clination, the  most  worthy  would  have  been  the  wish  to 
work  for  the  good  of  my  fellow-citizens  on  a  larger  scale 
than  is  possible  for  a  man  in  private  life.  Without  regard 
to  whether  1  am  really  noble-minded  enough  to  employ 
my  powers  to  promote  the  welfare  of  others  rather  than 
my  own,  my  opinion  is,  even  placing  the  least  modest 
estimate  upon  my  capabilities,  that  it  would  make  no 
difference  in  the  prosperity  of  Prussia's  inhabitants  whether 
1  or  another  of  the  many  excellent  people  who  strive  for 
this  aim  shall  be  connected  with  or  preside  over  the  govern- 
ment of  a  province.     The  individual  office-holder  among 

31 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OE   BISMARCK     [Sept. 

us  has  but  little  independence  in  his  activities,  even  in  the 
highest  place,  and  with  the  others  it  is  practically  limited 
to  shoving  ahead  the  administrative  machinery  in  the 
path  once  prescribed.  The  Prussian  office-holder  is  like 
an  individual  in  an  orchestra.  Whether  he  plays  first 
violin  or  triangle  he  must,  without  oversight  or  influence 
upon  the  whole,  play  off  his  fragment  as  it  is  assigned  to 
him,  whether  he  considers  it  good  or  bad.  But  1  wish 
to  make  music  such  as  1  discern  to  be  good,  or  none  at  all. 
In  a  country  with  a  free  constitution  every  one  who  con- 
secrates himself  to  the  public  service  can  openly  put  his 
whole  strength  into  the  defence  and  execution  of  those 
regulations  and  systems  of  whose  righteousness  and  utility 
he  is  convinced,  and  he  has  no  need  to  recognize  anything 
but  these  qualities  as  his  guide  in  his  actions,  since  he 
transfers  to  his  public  career  the  independence  of  lus  private 
life.  There  one  can  really  enjoy  the  consciousness  of 
having  done  what  he  could  for  the  good  of  his  country. 
Let  him  succeed  or  not,  let  his  views  prevail  or  not,  the 
effort  remains  equally  meritorious.  But  with  us  it  is 
necessary  for  one  to  be  a  salaried  and  dependent  officer 
in  order  to  take  part  in  public  affairs;  one  must  belong 
wholly  to  the  official  caste,  share  their  views,  whether 
right  or  wrong,  and  forego  all  individuality  in  thought 
and  action.  Abuses,  real  or  apparent,  connected  with 
our  chiefs,  superiors,  and  even  our  colleagues,  we  must 
observe  without  daring  to  attack  them  openly,  and  even 
that  which  is  subordinated  to  us  is  under  the  influ- 
ence of  tradition  and  inflexible  rules  rather  than  under 
that  of  the  superior  officer.  Even  in  my  short  experi- 
ence 1  have  often  seen  how  the  costly  time  and  labor 
of  highly  paid  officials  were  brought  to  nothing  in  a 
fashion    to    convince    one    that   business   is   invented   to 

32 


1838]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

give  the  office-holders  at  hand  something  to  do,  not  that 
office-holders  are  appointed  to  transact  necessary  business ; 
and  my  distinguished  superiors  fought  against  this  and 
other  absurdities  with  all  energy,  but  without  success; 
it  is  in  the  nature  of  our  government.  1  have  often  heard 
high-placed  officials  in  Aix-la-Chapelle  and  Potsdam  say 
that  this  or  that  regulation  is  injurious,  oppressive,  unjust, 
and  still  they  did  not  dare  to  make  even  a  most  respectful 
protest,  but  on  the  contrary  saw  themselves  obliged  to 
further  them  with  all  their  strength,  against  their  convic- 
tion. Whence,  then,  is  satisfaction  to  be  derived  in  the 
practice  of  one's  calling — in  the  consciousness  of  originat- 
ing useful  measures,  or  even  of  merely  doing  one's  duty 
to  his  country?  But  conflicts  of  that  sort  in  the  service 
would  be  rather  frequent  in  my  case,  especially  as  my 
political  faith  is  radically  opposed  to  that  of  our  govern- 
ment. How,  then,  can  1  reach  the  conviction  that  1  am 
useful  to  my  fellow-citizens,  if  1  consider  the  system  by 
which  1  help  to  govern  much  less  advantageous  than  the 
opposite  one,  and  in  any  case  unjust?  How  shall  1  make 
answer  to  my  own  conscience  for  enlisting  under  the  banner 
of  an  administration  whose  principles  1  think  1  must  attack, 
as  far  as  obedience  to  existing  laws  permits,  as  one  of  my 
chief  duties  to  my  country?  You  may  think  it  ridiculous, 
gracious  cousin,  for  me  to  assert  that  1  have  a  political 
conviction  and  even  a  conscience;  yet  you  must  admit 
that  1  cannot  share  in  that  best  reward  of  a  public  servant, 
the  consciousness  of  having  devoted  his  life  to  the  welfare 
of  his  fellow-citizens  rather  than  to  his  own,  except  under 
the  assumption  that  1  have  a  conscience.  So  you  must 
really  permit  me  (the  better  to  realize  the  event  of  my  en- 
tering the  service  from  that  genuinely  worthy  motive) 
to  borrow  a  conscience,  if  you  will  not  admit  that  I  have 
C  33 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK     [Sept. 

one  of  my  own.  Probably  with  few  of  the  famous  states- 
men, especially  in  countries  that  have  an  absolute  system 
of  government,  was  love  of  country  the  motive  that  took 
them  into  the  service;  much  more  commonly  ambition, 
the  wish  to  command,  to  be  admired  and  famous. 

I  must  confess  that  1  am  not  free  from  this  passion,  and 
many  kinds  of  distinction — as  that  of  a  soldier  in  war, 
of  a  statesman  under  a  free  constitution,  like  Peel, 
O'Connell,  Mirabeau,  etc.,  of  a  participant  in  energetic 
political  movements — would  attract  me  as  the  flame  draws 
the  moth.  On  the  other  hand,  1  am  less  stimulated  by  the 
results  to  which  1  may  attain  on  the  wide  beaten  road, 
through  examinations,  connections,  study  of  legal  docu- 
ments, antiquity,  and  favor  of  my  superiors.  Then,  too, 
there  are  moments  when  1  cannot  think  without  painful 
regrets  of  all  the  gratifications  for  vanity  that  awaited 
me  in  the  service :  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  one's  useful- 
ness and  superiority  officially  recognized  through  rapid 
promotion  and  other  distinctions;  the  consciousness  of 
being  a  man  of  importance  and  influence,  before  whom 
the  less  important  bow ;  the  self-complacent  reflection  that 
one  is  considered  a  capable  and  useful  person,  is  noticed, 
talked  about,  and  envied;  all  the  real  private  glory  which 
would  finally  irradiate  me  and  my  family,  all  that  dazzles 
me  when  1  have  drunk  a  bottle  of  wine,  and  1  need  matter- 
of-fact  and  unbiassed  reflection  in  order  to  say  to  myself 
that  these  are  unsubstantial  fancies  of  silly  vanity,  be- 
longing in  the  same  category  with  the  pride  of  the  dandy 
in  his  coat  and  of  the  banker  in  his  money;  that  it  is  un- 
wise and  fruitless  to  seek  happiness  in  the  opinion  of  others, 
and  that  a  sensible  person  should  live  unto  himself  and  for 
what  he  recognizes  as  right  and  true,  but  not  for  the  im- 
pression he  makes  on  others  and  the  talk  that  may  be 

34 


1838]      THE  LOVE   LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK 

current  about  him  before  or  after  his  death.  In  short, 
1  am  not  free  from  ambition,  but  consider  it  as  bad  a  pas- 
sion as  any  other  and  rather  more  foolish,  because,  if  1 
surrender  to  it,  it  will  demand  the  sacrifice  of  my  entire 
strength  and  independence,  without  giving,  even  in  case 
of  the  greatest  success,  permanent  satisfaction  and  con- 
tentment. 

Still  oftener  than  from  ambition  our  officials  enter  the 
service  to  obtain  a  respectable  and  secure  livelihood,  and 
because  lack  of  capital  prevents  them  from  undertaking 
any  other  reputable  business.  In  my  situation,  1  give  the 
preference  to  farming  even  in  this  respect.  You  make 
the  very  nattering  representation,  dear  cousin,  as  does 
Bernhard,  too,  that  1  have  talents  which  permit  me  to  hope 
for  exceptional  success  in  the  public  service.  If  1  should 
admit  this,  it  would  still  seem  to  me  to  furnish  no  deci- 
sive reason  for  entering  an  official  career:  the  same  ca- 
pacities promise  good  results  in  any  other  business  as 
well,  and  perhaps  the  conduct  of  a  large  landed  estate  now- 
adays requires  more  intellect  than  to  be  privy-councillor. 
1  believe  especially  that,  in  the  case  of  a  property  so  large, 
and,  in  general,  situated  as  the  Kniephof  estate  is,  the 
full  strength  and  industry  of  a  clever  man  are  required  to 
get  the  yield  from  those  farms  which  they  are  capable  of 
— perhaps,  even,  to  maintain  it  as  it  is,  if  the  times  should 
get  still  worse.  Bernhard  does  not  mean  to  give  up  the 
public  service  altogether,  and  he  is  better  suited  to  it,  1 
think,  than  1  am.  He  is  decidedly  attached  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  our  administration,  takes  pleasure  in  his  official 
work,  always  is  on  excellent  terms  with  his  superiors, 
knows  very  well  how  to  adapt  himself  to  the  relations 
which  the  service  involves,  and  has  a  lively  desire  to  be 
minister,  or  even  president.     But  that  he  or  1,  or  both  of 

35 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK    [Sept. 

us  together,  while  away  on  the  public  service,  could  per- 
sonally administer  three  large  estates,  incidentally  and 
par  distance,  1  hold  to  be  impossible  without  great  and 
dangerous  injury  to  our  possessions ;  for  the  management 
of  an  important  estate,  even  when  one  lives  on  it,  cannot 
be  carried  on  efficiently  even  together  with  the  affairs  of 
the  president  of  a  provincial  court,  if  these  have  consci- 
entious attention.  Further,  even  if  Bernhard's  presence 
sufficed  for  the  management  of  our  estates,  1  am  convinced 
that,  from  a  purely  material  standpoint,  1  can  employ  my 
activity  more  advantageously  in  agriculture  than  in  the 
public  service,  aside  from  the  fact  that  1  consider  the  pos- 
session of  a  large  fortune  as  a  prerequisite  to  enjoyment  of 
the  public  service,  so  that  1  may  make  my  appearance  in 
public,  whatever  the  situation,  with  the  eclat  that  1  think 
becoming,  and  also  may  be  in  a  position  easily  to  surren- 
der all  advantages  which  my  office  affords  as  soon  as  my 
official  duties  conflict  with  my  conviction  or  my  taste. 
What  would  be  the  outlook,  then,  for  me,  in  my  utter  pov- 
erty, who  of  old  have  a  dangerous  tendency  to  spend  more 
than  1  get — a  tendency  that  1  now  combat  successfully  in 
my  solitude,  while  1  can  scarcely  endure  falling  behind 
any  one  in  any  respect  when  1  am  in  the  company  of  my 
equals?  If  my  career  were  the  most  successful  1  could 
expect,  1  should  have  an  income  on  which  1,  with  my  re- 
quirements, could  marry  and  set  up  a  household  in  the 
city  in  my  fortieth  year,  perhaps  as  president,  or  the  like, 
when  1  shall  be  dried  up  with  documentary  dust,  a  hypo- 
chondriac, diseased  in  chest  and  abdomen  from  sitting, 
and  need  a  wife  as  a  nurse.  For  this  moderate  advantage, 
for  the  itch  to  have  myself  called  Herr  Prasident,  for  the 
consciousness  that  1  am  seldom  worth  as  much  to  the 
country  as  1  cost  it,  but  that  sometimes  my  influence  is  a 

36 


1838]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK 

hinderance  and  an  injury,  while  in  general  1  fulfil  what  1 
indiscreetly  assumed  as  a  duty — for  this  1  am  finally  re- 
solved not  to  give  up  my  convictions,  my  independence, 
my  whole  vital  force  and  activity,  so  long  as  there  are 
thousands,  and  among  these  many  distinguished  people, 
to  whose  taste  those  prizes  are  sufficiently  precious  to  make 
them  glad  to  fill  the  place  which  1  leave  empty.  .  .  . 

Here  follow  some  apologies  for  the  length  of  the  letter 
and  other  things — a  multitude  of  compliments,  protesta- 
tions, and  hopes ;  and  at  the  end  a  lot  of  good  resolutions, 
uttered  in  the  modest  conviction  that  1  shall  always  con- 
tinue to  be  a  very  estimable  member  of  human  society. 
But  all  this  is  not  found  in  my  rough  draft,  which  is 
very  incomplete  and  confused,  so  that  1  have  been  able  to 
reproduce  much  of  it  only  approximately,  or  not  at  all, 
for  my  letter  was  at  least  twice  as  long  as  this.  1  especially 
miss  one  thing  that  1  regret,  on  Bernhard's  account  par- 
ticularly, a  discursive  argument  against  his  proposition 
to  be  office-holder  and  agriculturist  at  the  same  time — 
when  one  would  certainly  neglect  one  thing  in  favor 
of  the  other,  attaining  nothing  perfect  in  either,  and  in 
the  end  falling  between  two  stools.  Yet  this  letter  is  al- 
ready too  long,  and  you  will  certainly  have  trouble  in  study- 
ing it  all  through.  When  you  go  to  Kniephof,  please  take 
it  to  Bernhard,  or  send  it  to  him.  And  please  write  me 
soon  whether  it  is  your  wish  that  1  should  go  to  Stettin 
or  Kniephof  when  you  are  there,  or  whether  you  prefer 
to  come  to  Carlsburg  so  that  we  may  draw  up  the  contract 
for  the  sale  of  Kiilz,  since  the  election  of  Landrath  may 
give  us  trouble,  and  then  it  would  be  important  for  us  to 
have  one  vote  more.  When  Bernhard  once  gets  to  be 
Landrath  1  shall  make  an  effort  to  be  chosen  district  deputy ; 
then  he  can  do  the  representing  very  comfortably  if  he  likes. 

37 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Feb. 

When  1  came  from  Carlsburg  1  spent  twenty-four  hours 
in  Putbus.  An  acquaintance  of  mine  from  the  island  *  took 
me  there  with  him.  I  dined  with  the  prince  and  learned 
from  him  much  of  interest  about  his  embassy.f  He  asked 
whether  you  still  carried  on  the  potato  distillery  so  zeal- 
ously. He  has  founded  a  sugar  factory,  very  pretty  and 
complete,  but  it  is  not  yet  in  operation.  He  invited  me  to 
inspect  it,  and  was  generally  very  nice.  A  very  pretty 
Lady  von  Stockhausen,  who  comes  from  Hanover  and  now 
lives  in  Berlin,  was  taking  the  baths  there,  and  I  made  her 
acquaintance  on  this  occasion,  as  well  as  that  of  her  fat, 
light-haired  husband.  On  the  return  trip  I  suffered  from 
sea-sickness,  which  did  me  a  lot  of  good,  by-the-way.  I 
wish  you  the  like  —  i.e.,  without  sea-sickness  —  and  beg 
you  to  give  my  cordial  salutations  to  mother,  and  soon 
to  send  me  news  of  her  condition.     Your  obedient  son, 

Bismarck. 


SCHONHAUSEN,  February  17,  1847. 

Only  Beloved  Jeanette  Friedericke  Char- 
lotte ELEONORE  DOROTHEA,  —  Just  by  way  of  va- 
riety I  am  going  to  write  you  in  the  morning,  and,  sooth 
to  say,  on  a  gloomy,  rainy  morning.  I  will  at  least  let 
the  sun  shine  in  me  while  1  think  only  of  you.  It  is 
half  past  eight,  and  here,  sixteen  feet  away  from  the  win- 
dow, it  is  so  dark  that  1  can  scarcely  write.  So  then,  you, 
Black  Sun,  must  shine  within  me  very  bright  if  I  am  to 
succeed.  How  can  black  give  light?  Only  in  the  form 
of  polished  ebony  or  lava.  Smooth  and  hard  as  that 
you  are  not;  therefore,  my  metaphor  of  the  black  sun  is 

*Riigen.  fOn  the  accession  of  Queen  Victoria. 

38 


1847]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

false.  Are  you  not  rather  a  dark,  warm  summer  night, 
with  fragrance  of  flowers  and  heat-lightning?  —  for  I 
should  hardly  like  to  say  a  starry  and  moonlight  night : 
that  picture  seems  to  me  too  monotonously  placid.  .  .  . 
I  am  interrupted. 

I  have  been  bargaining  for  horses  the  whole  morning, 
and  I  behaved  like  the  women  at  Siegmund's  or  Rogge's. 
After  I  had  made  the  dealer  lead  before  me  about  twenty 
in  the  maddest  rain  on  smooth  ice,  I  bought  nothing, 
although  they  were  all  Danish  horses.  Speaking  of  horses, 
it  occurs  to  me  that  you  must  ride,  even  if  1  must  turn  into 
a  horse  to  carry  you.  Haven't  you  any  physician  there 
who  will  make  the  necessity  plain  to  your  father?  Make 
a  tool  of  him  so  that  he  shall  say  that  you  can't  fail  to 
go  blind,  or  something  of  that  kind,  if  you  do  not  ride. 
Without  lying  he  can  say  that  it  is  necessary  for  your 
health.  For  the  rest,  your  letter  of  the  12th  gave  me  quite 
uncommon  pleasure :  in  the  first  place,  because  I  am  not 
such  a  spoiled  creature  as  you  are,  and  scarcely  dared  to 
hope  that  I  should  have  a  reply  so  early  as  Sunday  to  my 
letter  which  you  could  not  receive  before  Thursday  even- 
ing, according  to  the  postal  arrangements  there,  although 
it  reached  Stolp  Wednesday  morning.  My  most  cordial 
thanks  for  it;  and  persevere  in  this  course.  Further, 
I  notice  with  especial  satisfaction  that  your  letter  to  me 
is  in  the  years  of  increase.  When  I  first  saw  it,  it  was 
one  leaf  in  size;  the  next  time  it  was  two,  and  now  it  is 
three.  Let  it  keep  growing  until  it  comes  to  me  as  big 
as  a  volume. 

You  are  right,  my  heart ;  mistrust  is  the  bitterest,  most 
terrible  torment.  It  is  nothing  else  but  doubt,  the  first 
seed  of  all  evil,  applied  to  the  intercourse  of  men  among 
themselves — the  source  of  almost  all  bitterness  and  hos- 

39 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK       [Feb. 

tility.  Somewhere  it  is  written:  "He  who  does  not  love 
his  neighbor  whom  he  sees,  how  shall  he  love  God  whom 
he  does  not  see?"  I  should  like  to  say  the  same  thing  in 
reference  to  confidence  instead  of  love.  We  have,  even 
in  the  distrustful  legal  system,  the  adage,  "  Quivis  bonus 
habetur  donee  mains  probetur"  (Let  every  one  be  accounted 
good  until  he  is  proved  bad) .  So  then,  if  you  wish  to  be 
nothing  but  a  hard-hearted  judge  to  me,  you  should  trust 
me  until  you  have  learned  by  experience  that  1  deserve  mis- 
trust. But  if  you  love  me,  you  should  forgive  me  seven 
times  seventy  times,  even  if  I  have  actually  sinned  against 
you.  Will  you  be  able  to  do  that?  Four  hundred  and 
ninety  times !  I  shall  not  require  it  so  often  as  that,  at  least 
for  gross  offences.  But  even  if  you  are  actually  inclined  to 
mistrust,  you  need  not,  on  my  account,  make  superhuman 
efforts  to  control  yourself  in  that  respect;  time  will  cure 
that,  and  if  my  past  life  fails  to  inspire  you  with  trust 
in  my  constancy,  nevertheless  you  will  soon  convince 
yourself  that  you  can  have  no  doubt  at  least  as  to  my  true- 
heartedness.  Besides,  your  possible  mistrust  will  always 
be  harmless  between  us,  because  (I  could  explain  the  psy- 
chological reasons  were  I  not  hurried  to  catch  the  mail) 
your  mistrust  will  not  offend  me  in  the  least,  and  be- 
cause I  myself,  who  used  to  trust  almost  no  one  without 
the  most  convincing  proofs,  have  an  immovable  and  in- 
exhaustible confidence  in  you.  The  thesis,  "  Truth  is  the 
very  fire  that  eternally  vivifies  and  sustains  the  germ  of 
existence/'  is  one  of  those  misty,  indefinite  phrases  as 
to  which  it  is  difficult  for  one  to  get  a  clear  conception, 
and  which  often  have  injurious  results  when  they  are 
transferred  from  poetry  to  actuality — especially  by  women 
who  as  young  girls  have  observed  life  almost  exclusively 
through  the  spectacles  of  the  poets  (the  life  of  the  larger 

40 


1847]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK 

world,  I  mean).  But  forgive  me:  the  gray  rain  is  having 
its  effect  upon  me,  so  that  I  involuntarily  fall  into  the  fret- 
ful doctrinaire  tone  of  an  old  uncle.  I  do  not  want  to 
instruct  you  or  improve  you — remain  as  you  are.  What 
1  say  expresses  only  a  sort  of  exercise  of  my  thoughts. 

Appearances  indicate  that  we  shall  not  continue  to  have 
snow  and  thermometer  at  10°  up  to  April  II,  and  presum- 
ably from  Friday  on,  when  you  are  snugly  ensconced 
on  the  sofa  in  the  evening,  or  at  night  are  awakened  by 
mamma,  you  may  think  how  the  torn  little  banner  of 
your  knight  and  servant  flutters  in  the  nocturnal  storm 
and  rain  on  the  brink  of  the  riotous  floods,  on  a  brown 
horse  that,  pricking  up  its  ears  and  snorting,  gives  token 
of  its  terror  at  the  thunderous  noise  of  the  conflict  in  which 
the  gigantic  fields  of  ice  engage  with  one  another  when 
they  have  drawn  apart  in  discord  and  their  mighty  ruins 
tower  and  split  into  pieces  in  the  eddy.  Have  you  never 
seen  the  ice-drive  of  a  great  river?  It  is  one  of  Nature's 
most  impressive  spectacles. 

From  my  last  letter  you  will,  moreover,  have  formed 
the  opinion  that  the  summons  of  the  sovereign  king  for 
April  will  apparently  raise  up  no  new  separating  wall 
between  us,  whose  downfall  we  should  be  obliged  to  await. 
Country  and  king  doubtless  lose  through  this  circumstance 
one  of  the  most  distinguished  representatives  and  a  pillar 
of  the  throne  in  the  Reichstag — but  our  love  is  the  winner. 

1  am  so  much  obliged  to  you  for  taking  up  with  French 
a  little;  and  the  fact  that  you  did  this  before  I  requested 
it  is  a  new  guarantee  of  our  mutual  understanding,  if 
there  were  need  of  it. 

If  you  are  fond  of  sad  poems — Lenau,  etc. — at  present, 
I  do  not  see  in  that  a  reversal  of  your  former  cheerful  mood, 
and  still  less  a    contradiction  to  your   heart's   healthful 

41 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Feb. 

impulses,  but  rather  an  advance  in  sensitiveness  to  poetry 
and  an  insight  into  it.  Innocent  songs  of  spring  are  the 
verses  of  childhood  and  twelve-year-old-hood,  of  larks  and 
lambs.  It  is,  I  think,  deeply  inherent  in  human  nature — 
I  would  say,  in  the  unconscious  recognition  of  suffering 
and  woe  on  earth,  and  vague  yet  mighty  longing  for  bet- 
ter and  nobler  conditions — that,  among  people  who  are 
not  quite  easy-going  and  superficial,  the  dwelling  upon 
the  fragmentariness,  the  nothingness,  the  pain,  that  rule 
our  present  life,  awakens  more  response  than  does  the 
touching  upon  those  less-potent  elements  which  produce 
in  us  temporarily  the  flowers  of  untroubled  cheerfulness, 
quickly  fading,  whose  only  native  soil  is  childhood.  Every 
person  cultivated  in  intelligence  and  heart  is  affected  and 
moved  by  the  various  kinds  of  tragedy  on  the  stage  and 
in  real  life  in  a  fashion  to  which  the  idyllic  and  comic,  in 
their  most  perfect  form,  can  never  attain.  To  be  exalted  to 
the  level  of  cheerfulness  (in  the  higher  sense)  and  con- 
tentment, gives  the  conception  of  majesty,  of  the  divine, 
which  the  human  being  can  only  in  exceptional,  favored 
moments  and  aspects  feebly  reflect.  The  thing  that  in 
an  earthly  sense  is  impressive  and  affecting,  that  can 
ordinarily  be  represented  by  human  means,  is  always 
related  to  the  fallen  angel,  who  is  beautiful,  but  without 
peace;  great  in  his  plans  and  endeavors,  but  without 
success;  proud  and  sad.  Such  things  as  there  are,  out- 
side of  the  province  of  religion,  to  stir  our  emotions,  can- 
not, therefore,  be  cheerful  and  happy,  but  only  serve  us  as 
a  constant  finger-post,  showing  where  we  may  find  peace. 
If  your  mind  has  grown  more  receptive  for  the  poetry  of 
autumn,  of  frost  on  a  night  in  May,  and  all  human  ex- 
periences of  this  class,  then  that  fact  proves  that  you  are 
no  longer  a  twelve-year-old.     The   storm  that  rages  in 

42 


1847]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

the  tops  of  the  old  trees,  bending  and  breaking  them, 
passes  over  the  heads  of  children,  children  in  body  and 
mind,  as  it  does  over  the  little  trees  in  the  forest;  on  be- 
coming larger  they  grow  up  into  the  layer  of  storms,  and 
their  roots  must  become  stronger  if  they  are  not  to  fall. 
Our  little  Annchen  seems  to  be  growing  also.  When 
trees  are  injured  in  a  storm,  resin  trickles  from  the  wounds 
like  alleviating  tears,  and  heals  them ;  but  if  they  seek  not 
protection  against  lacerations  of  that  kind  in  their  own 
resistant  power,  but  repeatedly  draw  upon  the  medicament 
of  the  resinous  tears  (what  an  accidental  play  on  the 
word!*)  they  exhaust  the  source  and  wither. 

"Words,  words,  words,"  you  will  say. 

How  deeply  I  feel  with  you  your  mother's  illness!  It 
makes  me  uneasy — perhaps  without  reason,  as  1  do  not 
yet  know  what  her  disease  is;  but  do  write  me  more  ex- 
plicitly about  it.  What  you  write  about  Mathai  is  not, 
1  fancy,  to  be  taken  in  connection  with  the  Versin  cousin? 
1  shudder  at  the  thought:  to  marry  a  piano-forte,  with  a 
little  monkey  as  a  manikin  on  top  of  it!  "Did  I  find  the 
pastor's  wife  disagreeable?"  From  what  you  say  it  seems 
so,  almost.  In  no  event,  however,  was  it  a  feeling  of  deep- 
seated  aversion,  for  I  don't  remember  her,  either  for  good 
or  evil :  I  have  not  the  slightest  idea  what  she  looks  like. 
If  you  wish,  I  shall  make  her  acquaintance  once  more, 
nibbling  at  the  hook  of  her  amiability  to  see  whether  I 
shall  be  caught. 

Among  the  women  correspondents  who  spoil  you,  you 
refer  to  a  "  Pauline."  Who  the  devil  is  Pauline?  Another 
cousin  I  do  not  know?  Apropos  of  the  devil,  I  can't  find 
any  place  in  the  Bible  where  it  is  forbidden  to  take  the 

*  The  word  is  the  compound  "  Harz-thranen,"  resin-drops  or  heart- 
tears. 

43 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK       [Feb. 

name  of  the  devil  in  vain.  If  you  know  one,  tell  me 
of  it. 

My  brother-in-law  was  obliged  to  return  in  haste  because 
my  sister  expects  her  accouchement  in  a  few  days.  Moritz 
has  not  yet  answered  me ;  and  as  he  has  the  habit  of  being 
very  prompt  with  his  replies — to  letters  like  my  last,  espe- 
cially— I  infer  from  this  that  he  is  in  the  humor  of  afflic- 
tion which  can  still  find  no  echo  to  the  tone  of  my  letter. 
If  I  could  do  or  say  anything  whatever  for  his  consolation! 
The  only  thing  is  the  companionship  of  sj^mpathetic  people : 
how  bright  he  was  in  Reinf eld !  I  must  divert  him  for  a 
day  or  two  when  I  go  to  see  you  again,  even  though  you 
may  scold;  it  is  necessary.  I  mean  to  write  him  again 
this  evening,  if  possible. 

I  am  really  at  war  with  myself  as  to  whether  or  not, 
assuming  that  the  danger  from  ice  and  water  has  passed 
by  the  3d  of  March,  I  shall  postpone  the  sessions  which 
I  have  after  that  and  employ  the  time  up  to  the  20th  in 
going  to  see  you,  my  heart.  On  the  20th  1  must,  infaillible- 
ment,  be  here.  It  is  not  certain,  and  yet  it  is  likely,  that 
I  shall  not  be  held  by  my  official  duties  on  the  4th;  and 
what,  then,  you  will  ask,  does  prevent  me?  What  interferes 
with  this  plan  is  a  thing  usually  strange  to  me — avarice,  the 
root  of  all  evil.  This  winter  I  have  bothered  myself  some- 
what more  than  usual  about  the  care  of  the  poor  in  this 
neighborhood,  and  have  found  misery  that  could  not  be 
worse,  if  not  in  my  villages,  at  least  in  the  neighboring 
town  of  Jerichow.  When  I  think  how  one  dollar  helps 
along  such  a  hunger-stricken  family  for  weeks,  it  seems 
to  me  almost  like  a  theft  from  the  poor  who  are  hungry 
and  cold  if  I  spend  thirty  dollars  to  make  the  journey. 
I  could,  indeed,  give  that  amount  and  still  take  the  trip, 
but  that  does  not  change  matters ;  twice  or  ten  times  that 

44 


1847]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

sum  would  relieve  only  a  part  of  the  suffering.  Tell  me, 
does  this  scruple  hurt  you — that  my  haste  to  see  you  does 
not  prevent  me  from  balking  at  mere  contemptible  money? 
1  have,  as  1  said,  not  yet  reached  a  decision  in  this  matter; 
nor  do  1  yet  know  whether  it  will  be  possible  for  me  to  travel 
soon  after  the  3d ;  it  depends  on  the  weather.  After  the 
20th  1  think  I  shall  unquestionably  be  able  to  travel,  and 
the  latest  date  on  which  1  shall  set  out  is,  as  I  look  at 
it,  the  21st  —  that  is,  in  about  four  weeks.  Shall  1  come 
sooner  if  my  duties  will  permit?  Command,  and  1  obey! 
1  shall  then  quiet  myself  like  a  sophist  with  the  reflection 
that  it  is  no  extravagance  which  1  indulge  in  for  my  pleas- 
ure, but  a  duty  that  1  fulfil  to  my  fiancee.  That  both 
come  to  the  same  thing  is  not  my  fault,  and  the  poor  shall 
still,  in  any  case,  have  as  much  as  the  journey  costs.  This 
is  a  very  ticklish  question,  how  far  I  can  hold  myself 
justified  in  using  for  my  pleasure  the  means  that  God 
has  intrusted  to  my  management,  while  there  are  people 
who  are  sick  from  want  and  cold  in  my  immediate  neigh- 
borhood, whose  beds  and  clothing  are  pawned,  so  that 
they  cannot  go  out  to  work.  "  Sell  what  thou  hast,  give 
to  the  poor,  and  follow  Me!"  But  how  far  can  or  should 
that  lead  us?  Of  the  poor  there  are  more  than  all  the 
treasures  of  the  king  can  feed.  Nous  verrons  how  it  will 
turn  out. 

Titan  is  not  here,  as  I  have  learned  with  regret ;  Malvine 
must  have  taken  him  away  with  her,  for  he  was  here. 
I  must  think  how  I  can  get  him,  for  I  positively  must  have 
him.  And  1  "am  to  wear  a  velvet  coat,"  angela  mia I 
Often  have  I  heard  that  knights  wore  the  colors  of  their 
mistresses ;  but  that  the  latter  went  so  far  as  to  prescribe 
the  material  of  the  garments — of  that  I  have  never  read  a 
word  in  the  romances.     Does  this  little  tailor's  whim  fail 

45 


THE  LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Feb. 

to  impress  you,  or  must  I  appear  before  you  next  time  in 
Manchester  goods?  It  would  be  obligatory,  in  the  latter 
event,  to  strike  up  a  correspondence  with  Jourez  betimes, 
for  1  do  not  know  whether  he  will  be  disposed  offhand  to 
allow  one  of  his  customers  to  walk  in  the  street  in  such 
garb.  .  .  . 

I  have  written  this  letter  in  most  fragmentary  fashion, 
from  beginning  to  end  of  the  day,  subject  to  continuous 
interruptions  and  unrelated  transactions;  and  when  I 
read  it  over  now  it  strikes  me  as  being  insipid  as  a  com- 
missioner of  justice.*  Bellin  has  just  left  me,  and  at  last 
it  is  still :  I  hear  nothing  but  the  ticking  of  the  clock  and 
Odin  licking  his  paws. 

It  is  odd  that  as  1  write  this  1  hear  sounds  as  though  of 
scribbling  and  turning  over  the  leaves  of  books  in  the 
bed-chamber,  whose  door  stands  wide  open.  It  is  but 
half -past  ten:  not  yet  the  hour  when  ghosts  do  walk. 
Don't  let  your  mother  hear  that. 

My  Jeanette,  my  Jeanneton,  fare  very  well,  hold  dear 
and  trust  your  dutiful 

B. 

SCHONHAUSEN,  February  21,  '47. 

Johanna,  My  or  Our  Better  Half!— 1  received 
your  letter  of  the  18th  to-day,  and  first  I  express  my  deep- 
felt  thanks  for  the  cordial  love  in  it  that  touches  me. 
Love  knows  no  thanks  and  expects  none,  some  one  says. 
Thanks  is  a  cold  word.  Never  mind,  I  feel  gratitude 
towards  you,  and  yet  love  you.  This  afternoon  I  re- 
ceived your  letter,  and  could  not  immediately  sit  down  to 
reply  to  you,  because  I  had  to  comply  with  a  tiresome  in- 

*  I.e.,  as  "  Shallow,  a  country  justice." 
46 


1847]      THE  LOVE   LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK 

vitation,  and  had  postponed  my  departure  until  five  in  order 
to  get  the  mail  first.  1  have  just  come  back,  cold,  wet,  and 
irritated  by  the  stupid  people,  but  I  must  still  write  a  few 
lines  to-day. 

I  answer  your  letter  point  by  point.  To  be  dike-captain 
is  certainly  very  unfortunate  this  year,  when  one  has  a 
fiancee  seventy  miles  away.  Since  last  Sunday  we  have 
had  thawing  weather,  and  for  several  days  we  have  ex- 
pected the  river  to  break  up,  but  it  is  quiet  yet.  A  few  hours 
ago  I  received  a  message  by  courier  saying  that  the  ice  at 
Dresden  and  in  Bohemia  has  been  moving  for  two  days 
— a  dangerous  thing,  when  it  breaks  up  above  earlier  than 
here,  which  may  cause  us  much  trouble.  To-morrow, 
or  Tuesday  at  latest,  the  ice -drive  must  extend  to  this 
point.  A  fortnight  is  the  shortest  period  in  which  the  per- 
formance can  be  finished;  sometimes  it  lasts  six,  usually 
three  to  four  weeks.  My  sentimental  tirades  in  relation  to 
poor  people  and  expenses  of  the  journey  will  apparently  re- 
main empty  phrases,  and  my  virtue  will  not  be  put  to  the 
test,  since  the  service  will  probably  not  leave  me  free  much 
before  the  middle  of  March,  without  regard  to  possible 
postponements.  At  any  rate,  I  will  endeavor  to  have  the 
meeting  of  the  equestrian  order,  which  was  set  for  the  20th, 
held  before  that  time. 

Tell  me,  my  angel — you  write  so  earnestly  about  postage- 
scruples — am  I  or  are  you  the  Pomeranian  who  does  not 
understand  a  joke?  Do  you  really  believe  it  concerns 
me  how  much  postage  a  letter  costs? — that  I  should  write 
one  less  if  it  were  ten  times  as  much?  This  idea  makes 
me  uncommonly  merry,  if  you  meant  it  seriously,  as  by 
the  tone  I  almost  believe  you  did;  and  if  I  could  draw 
caricatures  I  would  depict  my  profile  on  the  margin  more 
sarcastic-sardonic-ironic-satiric  than  you  have  ever  seen  it. 

47 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK      [Feb. 

You  remember,  perhaps,  that  in  Zimmerhausen  I  won- 
dered at  your  courage  in  accepting  me,  a  half-stranger, 
in  the  character  I  still  sustain;  but  that  you  know  me  so 
little  that  you  regard  me,  a  born  spendthrift,  as  avaricious, 
shows  that  you  have  surrendered  yourself  in  blind  trust, 
in  trust  that  can  alone  be  inspired  by  a  love  for  which  I 
kiss  your  hands  and  feet.  How  little  you  know  the  world, 
my  heart! 

Why  do  you  so  lament  your  last  letter?  I  found  noth- 
ing in  it  that  was  not  dear  to  me,  or  could  have  been  dearer. 
And,  were  it  otherwise,  where  should  you  in  future  find 
a  breast  on  which  to  disburden  your  own  of  that  which 
oppresses  it,  if  not  with  me?  Who  is  more  bound  and 
entitled  to  share  suffering  and  anxiety  with  you,  bear 
your  sicknesses,  your  faults,  than  1  who  have  obeyed 
my  impulse  to  do  this,  voluntarily,  without  being  com- 
pelled to  it  by  the  obligation  of  relationship  or  other 
duty?  You  had  a  woman  friend  with  whom  you  could 
take  refuge  at  all  times,  by  whom  you  were  never  re- 
pulsed. Do  you  miss  her  in  this  way  in  an  exigency? 
My  dear,  dear  Johanna,  must  I  tell  you  once  more  that 
I  love  you ;  sans  phrase,  that  we  ought  to  share  with  each 
other  joy  and  suffering — I  your  suffering  and  you  mine; 
that  we  are  not  united  for  the  sake  of  showing  and  shar- 
ing with  each  other  only  that  which  gives  pleasure;  but 
that  you  may  pour  out  your  heart  at  all  times  to  me  and 
I  to  you,  whatever  it  may  contain;  that  I  must  and  will 
bear  your  sorrows,  your  thoughts,  your  naughtinesses, 
if  you  have  any,  and  love  you  as  you  are — not  as  you 
ought  to  be  or  might  be?  Make  me  serviceable,  use  me 
for  what  purpose  you  will,  ill-treat  me  without  and  within, 
if  you  have  the  wish  to  do  so.  I  am  there  for  that  pur- 
pose, at  your  disposal;  but  never  be  embarrassed  in  any 

48 


1847]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

way  with  me.  Trust  me  unreservedly,  in  the  conviction 
that  1  accept  everything  that  comes  from  you  with  pro- 
found love,  whether  it  be  glad  or  patient.  Do  not  keep 
your  gloomy  thoughts  for  yourself  while  you  look  on 
me  with  cheerful  brow  and  merry  eyes,  but  share  with  me 
in  word  and  look  what  you  have  in  your  heart,  whether 
it  be  blessing  or  sorrow.  Never  be  faint-hearted  with  me, 
and  if  anything  in  yourself  appears  to  you  indiscreet, 
sinful,  depressing,  reflect  that  everything  of  that  kind 
is  present  in  me  a  thousand  times  more,  and  that  I  am 
saturated  with  it  far  too  thoroughly  and  deeply  to  look 
on  such  things  with  contempt  when  seen  in  others,  or 
to  become  aware  of  them  in  you  otherwise  than  with 
love,  even  if  not  always  with  patience.  Look  upon  us  as 
mutual  father  -  confessors ;  as  more  than  that,  since  we, 
according  to  the  Scripture,  are  to  be  "one  flesh." 

The  22d,  morning. 
1  have  just  been  abruptly  torn  from  sweetest  dreams 
to  be  told  that  the  ice  is  beginning  to  move — in  itself  a 
very  favorable  bit  of  news.  The  water  is  rising  an  inch 
every  hour,  and  will  probably  continue  at  that  rate  and 
somewhat  slower,  if  no  ice-pack  ensues,  until  it  stands 
ten  or  twelve  feet  higher  than  at  present.  How  long  it 
will  then  remain  at  such  a  height — on  that  it  depends 
when  1  shall  see  you.  For  1  must  see  you  at  last  as  soon 
as  the  Elbe  allows  me  to  go,  in  spite  of  the  Diet  of  the 
Circle  and  everything :  otherwise  your  image  will  grow 
fainter  and  fainter  until  it  will  be  invisible.  For  the  meet- 
ing of  the  equestrian  order,  however,  1  must  be  here.  1 
can  only  write  a  few  lines  while  the  horses  are  saddled, 
and  that  makes  me  heartily  sorry,  since  1  was  so  full  of 
instruction  last  evening  that  to-day  1  should  have  liked 
D  49 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Feb. 

to  give  you  a  good  stroking  until  you  purred  comfortably ; 
but  who  knows  when  1  can  write  again  in  the  next  few 
days?  And  so  1  will  not  keep  this  letter,  though  it  is 
short.  Do  not  take  pains  to  become  a  stiff,  smooth  hedge 
from  the  outset:  it  can  be  strong  and  green  only  on  con- 
dition that  it  grows  up  unrestrained  and  is  trimmed  down 
to  the  quick  by  the  gardener — and  that  I  shall  certainly 
not  prevail  on  my  heart  to  do.  Rather  have  the  free  growth 
of  the  wild  rose :  the  hateful  moss  and  the  too-sharp  thorns 
we  shall  both  endeavor  to  remove  without  pain,  or  at  least 
carefully.  Farewell;  the  cakes  of  ice  are  playing  the 
"  Pappenheim  March  "  as  a  summons  to  me,  and  the  chorus 
of  mounted  peasants  is  singing  "  Lively,  Comrades  !"  Why 
do  the  ice  blocks  not  really  do  it?  How  beautiful  that 
would  be,  and  how  poetical  !  It  is  to  me  like  a  breath  of 
fresh  life  that  this  tiresome  waiting  is  past,  and  the  affair 
begins  to  move.  To-night  "  1  stand  in  the  dark  midnight," 
and  you  "  To  the  Lord  devoutly  pray  for  your  dearest  far 
away."    Je  t'embrasse.     Your  vassal. 

B. 


SCHONHAUSEN,  February  23,  '47. 
MY  ANGEL! — 1  shall  not  send  this  letter  on  its  way 
to-morrow,  it's  true,  but  1  do  want  to  make  use  of  the  few 
unoccupied  minutes  left  to  me  to  satisfy  the  need  1  am 
conscious  of  every  hour,  to  communicate  with  you,  and 
forthwith  to  compose  a  "  Sunday  letter  "  to  you  once  more. 
To-day  1  have  been  "  on  the  move  "  all  day  long.  "  The 
Moorish  king  rode  up  and  down,"  unfortunately  not 
"through  Granada's  royal  town,"  but  between  Havel  berg 
and  Jerichow,  on  foot,  in  a  carriage,  and  on  horseback, 
and  got  mighty  cold  doing  so — because,  after  the  warm 

50 


1847]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

weather  of  the  last  few  days,  1  had  not  made  the  slightest 
preparation  to  encounter  five  degrees  below  freezing, 
with  a  cutting  north  wind,  and  was  too  much  in  haste 
or  too  lazy  to  mount  the  stairs  again  when  1  noticed  the 
fresh  air.  During  the  night  it  had  been  quite  endurable 
and  superb  moonlight.  A  beautiful  spectacle  it  was, 
too,  when  the  great  fields  of  ice  first  set  themselves  mas- 
sively in  motion,  with  explosions  like  cannon-shots,  shatter- 
ing themselves  against  one  another;  they  rear,  shoving 
over  and  under  each  other;  they  pile  up  house-high,  and 
sometimes  build  dams  obliquely  across  the  Elbe,  in  front 
of  which  the  pent  stream  rises  until  it  breaks  through 
them  with  rage.  Now  are  they  all  broken  to  pieces  in 
the  battle — the  giants — and  the  water  very  thickly  covered 
with  ice-cakes,  the  largest  of  which  measure  several  square 
rods,  which  it  bears  out  to  the  free  sea  like  shattered  chains, 
with  grumbling,  clashing  noises.  This  will  go  on  so  for 
about  three  days  more,  until  the  ice  that  comes  from 
Bohemia,  which  passed  the  bridge  at  Dresden  several  days 
ago,  has  gone  by.  (The  danger  is  that  the  ice-cakes  by 
jamming  together  may  make  a  dam,  and  the  stream  rise  in 
front  of  this  —  often  ten  to  fifteen  feet  in  a  few  hours.) 
Then  comes  the  freshet  from  the  mountains  which  floods 
the  bed  of  the  Elbe,  often  a  mile  in  width,  and  is  dangerous 
in  itself,  owing  to  its  volume.  How  long  that  is  to  last 
we  cannot  tell  beforehand.  The  prevailing  cold  weather, 
combined  with  the  contrary  sea  wind,  will  certainly  re- 
tard it.  It  may  easily  last  so  long  that  it  will  not  be  worth 
while  to  go  to  Reinfeld  before  the  20th.  If  only  eight  days 
should  be  left  me,  would  you  have  me  undertake  it,  never- 
theless?—  or  will  you  wait  to  have  me  without  interrup- 
tion  after  the  20th,  or  perhaps  T8th?  It  is  true  that  fiance 
and   dike-captain   are   almost   incompatible;    but   were   I 

51 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Feb. 

not  the  latter,  I  have  not  the  slightest  idea  who  would 
be.  The  revenues  of  the  office  are  small,  and  the  duties 
sometimes  laborious;  the  gentlemen  of  the  neighbor- 
hood, however,  are  deeply  concerned,  and  yet  without 
public  spirit.  And  even  if  one  should  be  discovered  who 
would  undertake  it  for  the  sake  of  the  title,  which  is,  strange 
to  say,  much  desired  in  these  parts,  yet  there  is  no  one  here 
(may  God  forgive  me  the  offence)  who  would  not  be  either 
unfit  for  the  business  or  faint-hearted.  A  fine  opinion, 
you  will  think,  I  have  of  myself ,  that  1  only  am  none  of 
this ;  but  1  assert  with  all  of  my  native  modesty  that  1  have 
all  these  faults  in  less  degree  than  the  others  in  this  part 
of  the  country — which  is,  in  fact,  not  saying  much. 

I  have  not  yet  been  able  to  write  to  Moritz,  and  yet  I 
must  send  something  to  which  he  can  reply,  inasmuch 
as  my  former  letter  has  not  as  yet  brought  a  sign  of  life. 
Or  have  you  crowded  me  out  of  his  heart,  and  do  you  fill 
it  alone?  The  little  pale-faced  child  is  not  in  danger, 
1  hope.  That  is  a  possibility  in  view  of  which  I  am  terri- 
fied whenever  1  think  of  it — that  as  a  crowning  misfort- 
une of  our  most  afflicted  friend,  this  thread  of  connection 
with  Marie  might  be  severed.  But  she  will  soon  be  a 
year  and  a  half  old,  you  know;  she  has  passed  the  most 
dangerous  period  for  children.  Will  you  mope  and  talk 
of  warm  hands  and  cold  love  if  I  pay  a  visit  to  Moritz  on 
my  next  journey,  instead  of  flying  to  Reinfeld  without 
a  pause  as  is  required  of  a  loving  youth? 

That  you  are  getting  pale,  my  heart,  distresses  me. 
Do  you  feel  well  otherwise,  physically,  and  of  good  courage? 
Give  me  a  bulletin  of  your  condition,  your  appetite,  your 
sleep.  I  am  surprised  also  that  Hedwig  Dewitz  has  written 
to  you — such  a  heterogeneous  nature,  that  can  have  so 
little  in  common  with  you.     She  was  educated  with  my 

52 


1847]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

sister  for  several  years  in  Kniephof,  although  she  was 
four  or  five  years  the  elder  of  the  two.  Either  she  loves 
you — which  1  should  find  quite  easy  to  explain — or  has 
other  prosaic  intentions.  I  fancy  that  she,  as  is  quite  nat- 
ural, does  not  feel  at  home  in  her  father's  house;  she  has, 
therefore,  always  made  her  home  with  others  for  long 
periods  and  with  satisfaction. 

In  your  letter  which  lies  before  me  I  come  upon  "self- 
control"  again.  That  is  a  fine  acquisition  for  one  who 
may  profit  by  it,  but  surely  to  be  distinguished  from  com- 
pulsion. It  is  praiseworthy  and  amiable  to  wean  one's 
self  from  tasteless  or  provoking  outbursts  of  feeling,  or 
to  give  to  them  a  more  ingratiating  form ;  but  I  call  it  self- 
constraint — which  makes  one  sick  at  heart — when  one 
stifles  his  own  feelings  in  himself.  In  social  intercourse 
one  may  practise  it,  but  not  we  two  between  ourselves. 
If  there  be  tares  in  the  field  of  our  heart,  we  will  mutually 
exert  ourselves  so  to  dispose  of  them  that  their  seed  cannot 
spring  up;  but  if  it  does,  we  will  openly  pull  it  up,  but 
not  cover  it  artificially  with  straw  and  hide  it — that  harms 
the  wheat  and  does  not  injure  the  tares.  Your  thought 
was,  I  take  it,  to  pull  them  up  unaided,  without  paining 
me  by  the  sight  of  them ;  but  let  us  be  in  this  also  one  heart 
and  one  flesh,  even  if  your  little  thistles  sometimes  prick 
my  fingers.  Do  not  turn  your  back  on  them  nor  conceal 
them  from  me.  You  will  not  always  take  pleasure  in 
my  big  thorns,  either — so  big  that  I  cannot  hide  them; 
and  we  must  pull  at  them  both  together,  even  though 
our  hands  bleed.  Moreover,  thorns  sometimes  bear  very 
lovely  flowers,  and  if  yours  bear  roses  we  may  perhaps 
let  them  alone  .sometimes.  "  The  best  is  foe  to  the  good  " 
— in  general,  a  very  true  saying ;  so  do  not  have  too  many 
misgivings  about  all  your  tares,  which  I  have  not  yet 

53 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK       [Feb. 

discovered,  and  leave  at  least  a  sample  of  them  for  me. 
With  this  exhortation,  so  full  of  unction,  I  will  go  to  sleep, 
although  it  has  just  struck  ten,  for  last  night  there  was 
little  of  it;  the  unaccustomed  physical  exercise  has  used 
me  up  a  bit,  and  to-morrow  1  am  to  be  in  the  saddle  again 
before  daylight.     Very,  very  tired  am  1,  like  a  child. 

The  24th,  morning. 

Strange  to  say,  the  water  has  not  risen  in  the  least  over- 
night ;  an  ice  jam  and  pack  must  therefore  have  occurred 
above,  so  that  it  can't  get  down.  I  am  rather  angry  that 
I  have  no  news  about  it,  and  will  appease  myself  by  turn- 
ing my  thoughts  to  you,  angela.  It  is  quite  cold  and 
windy  again,  especially  for  riding.  Every  two  miles, 
all  along  the  Elbe,  picket  guards  of  four  riders  are  posted, 
so  that  I  may  find  messengers  at  my  disposal  even^where, 
and  news  and  orders  may  be  forwarded  as  rapidly  as 
possible,  and  yet  since  midnight  the  reports  from  up- 
stream are  lacking — it  is  an  incredible  lack  of  discipline, 
but  in  a  few  hours  1  shall  know  the  cause  of  it,  et  j'y  mettrai 
bon  ordre. 

You  poor  heart,  I  am  wearying  you  with  the  flood 
business,  and  you  surely  want  to  read  of  quite  other  things. 
So  I  will  tell  you  also  that  Senfft*  writes  to  me,  "  A  clever, 
good,  and  devout  girl  has  become  yours,  and  that  is  a 
great  deal."  There  you  see  how  people  of  insight  think 
of  you.  What  does  he  find  "a  great  deal"  of  in  that? 
That  a  girl  is  clever,  good,  and  devout,  or  that  one  of  this 
kind  has  become  mine?  A  verse,  which  I  regard  as  emi- 
nently mendacious,  has  lodged  somewhere  in  my  memory : 
"Out  of  guile,  cunning,  deceit,  and  conceit,  Nature  wove 

*  Von  Senfft-Pilsach,  later  first  President  of  Pomerania. 
54 


1847]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

with  soft  gossamer  threads  a  fickle  thing;  it  is  called — 
girl."  Johanna,  is  there  really  a  bit  of  truth  in  it,  and 
can  any  one  who  knows  the  world,  as  Senfft  does,  enter- 
tain such  views  of  the  show-piece  of  creation?  No;  he 
finds  it  "a  great  deal"  that  happiness  so  unmerited  has 
been  accorded  to  a  scamp  like  myself,  and  he  is  right. 
Though  you  should  now  modestly  protest  against  this 
explanation,  yet  the  moment  will  come  when  you  will 
accept  it.  Half  in  jest,  half  in  earnest,  I  believe  that; 
however,  it  will  pass  by — that  moment.  But  I  still  retain 
the  conviction  that  the  fact  is  as  S.  says. 

Just  now  a  sick  old  woman  came  from  the  village  to 
beg,  and  I  repulsed  her  harshly  because  her  only  daughter 
broke  into  a  house  and  stole  one  hundred  Reichsthaler, 
and  is  in  jail,  although  she  denies  it  with  equal  stupidity 
and  boldness,  and  I  believe  her  mother  knew  of  it.  I  sup- 
pose that  was  very  merciless  on  my  part.  "  Judge  not, 
that  ye  be  not  judged."  But  one  is  so  often  deceived  by 
mendicity,  and  so  many  are  in  need  who  do  not  deserve 
to  be.  But  1  will  inquire  more  closely  into  their  circum- 
stances, and  not  meddle  in  God's  retributive  office. 

Evening. 
To-day  was  my  deceased  mother's  birthday.  How 
clearly  it  rises  before  me — when  my  parents  lived  in  Berlin 
on  the  Opernplatz  next  to  the  Catholic  church,  and  when 
I  used  to  be  brought  from  the  boarding-school  by  the  game- 
keeper in  the  morning,  and  found  my  mother's  room  decorat- 
ed with  lily-of-the- valley,  of  which  she  was  particularly 
fond,  and  with  gifts  of  garments,  books,  and  interesting 
trinkets;  then  a  big  dinner,  with  many  3Toung  officers, 
who  are  now  old  majors,  and  carousing,  old,  decorated 
gentlemen,  who,  ere  now,  have  been  devoured  by  worms. 

55 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Feb. 

And  when  I  had  been  sent  away  from  the  table,  as  though 
my  hunger  had  been  appeased,  the  chambermaid  took 
me  in  hand,  to  ruin  my  stomach  utterly  with  purloined 
caviar,  kisses,  etc.  What  a  lot  all  these  domestics  did 
steal.  My  mother  was  a  beautiful  woman  who  loved 
display,  with  a  clear  and  lively  intelligence,  but  little  of 
that  winning  warmth  of  manner  which  the  Berliner  calls 
"Gemuth."  She  wished  me  to  learn  much  and  to  come 
to  much,  and  it  often  seemed  to  me  that  she  was  hard, 
cold  towards  me.  What  a  mother  is  worth  to  her  child 
one  learns  only  when  it  is  too  late — when  she  is  dead. 
The  most  mediocre  maternal  love,  with  all  the  dilution 
of  maternal  selfishness,  is  a  very  giant  compared  with 
any  childish  affection.  My  father  I  really  loved,  and 
when  I  was  not  with  him  I  formed  resolutions  that  had 
little  endurance;  for  how  often  have  I  rewarded  his  truly 
unmeasured,  disinterested,  kindly  tenderness  for  me  with 
coldness  and  apathy.  And  yet  I  cannot  withdraw  the 
assertion  that  I  was  fond  of  him  at  the  bottom  of  my  heart. 
I  never  spoke  with  my  father  about  matters  of  faith.  His 
belief  was  not  quite  that  of  Christianity :  he  relied  so  upon 
God's  love  and  mercy  that  everything  else  than  this  re- 
liance seemed  to  him  superfluous.  About  my  mother's 
religion  I  only  remember  that  she  read  much  in  the  Hours 
of  Devotion,  and  that  she  was  often  terrified  and  angry 
at  my  pantheistic  tendency  and  utter  disbelief  in  the  Bible 
and  Christianity.  She  did  not  go  to  church  and  was 
much  attached  to  Swedenborg,  the  prophetess  of  Pre- 
vorst,  and  the  theories  of  Mesmer,  Schubert,  Justinus 
Kerner — an  enthusiasm  that  stood  in  strange  contra- 
diction to  her  otherwise  cold,  intellectual  clearness.  So 
far  as  I  know,  her  belief  also  was  not  Christian,  as  we 
understand  the  word.     Do  you  know  what  a  prince  of 

56 


1847]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

Friesland  said  at  his  baptism?  He  asked  the  priest  whether 
his  heathen  ancestors  had  been  damned  for  their  un- 
belief. Upon  an  affirmative  reply  he  refused  to  let  him- 
self be  baptized,  for,  where  his  father  was,  he  wished  also 
to  be.  I  mention  that  only  as  a  fact,  without  applying  it 
to  myself.  Many  comfortless  thoughts,  I  will  not  say 
doubts,  connect  themselves  with  it.  Two  shall  be  grind- 
ing at  one  mill ;  the  one  shall  be  taken  and  the  other  rejected. 
If  God  will  have  it  so,  there  is  no  grumbling,  but —  Well, 
as  to  the  "but"  orally  when  we  have  opportunity. 

I,  too,  am  already  beginning  to  be  spoiled  with  letters. 
1  half  thought  the  mail  would  bring  me  one  from  you 
to-day,  but  sought  in  vain  for  one  that  began  with  "  Right 
Honorable."  Irritating  business  letters,  unexpectedly 
pressing  demands  for  money  going  back  to  my  father's 
day,  and  one  from  Moritz,  which  shows  great  depression, 
however  much  he  tries  to  pick  himself  up — the  poor  young 
fellow.  The  letter  makes  an  impression  on  me  as  though 
written  by  a  person  who  is  tired  to  death,  who  tries  by 
force  to  keep  awake,  and  nods  off  between  the  confused 
sentences.  It  is  a  dangerous  thing  to  love  as  he  did,  and 
yet  it  is  a  beautiful  thing,  so  long  as  the  hope  of  reunion 
is  not  abandoned.  But  he  who  should  love  in  this  fashion, 
and  either  not  believe  at  all  in  continued  life  or  resurrection, 
or  believe  in  the  damnation  of  the  other  part?  "With- 
out thee,  where  would  be  my  heaven?"  That  sounds  al- 
most sacrilegious.  But  were  it  not  the  highest  degree 
of  love,  consciously  to  sacrifice  one's  own  salvation  to 
her  he  loves?  Can  you  imagine  the  case  that  some  one's 
soul  would  be  saved  by  another's  voluntary  perdition? 
The  possibility  is  conceivable.  Should  1,  in  that  case, 
consent  to  the  loss  of  yours  in  order  to  save  my  own? 
All  nonsense.    Moritz  is  full  of  gratitude  for  our  reciprocal 

57 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK       [Feb. 

friendship.  The  latter  we  will  maintain  for  him;  the 
former  we  will  strive  to  deserve.  About  the  conception 
of  conjugal  happiness  he  is  moved  by  one  of  my  expres- 
sions to  dispense  a  priestly  admonition  which  goes  wide 
of  the  mark,  because  he  attaches  too  narrow  and  trivial 
a  sense  to  my  words  about  "being  happy"  and  "con- 
ferring happiness/'  and  seems  to  think  1  mean  by  them 
nothing  more  than  freedom  from  domestic  vexation  and 
that  sort  of  petty  household  woes.  He  directs  my  atten- 
tion to  guidance  from  above ;  but  that  goes  without  saying 
when  I  speak  of  "being  happj7."  He  begs  earnestly 
for  a  visit  from  me,  and  he  shall  have  it.  .  .  . 

Apropos  of  Stolp:  It  was  strange  that  the  hussars 
in  Schlawe  declared  themselves  all  the  more  surprised 
by  our  engagement  because  it  passed  for  certain  there 
that  1  was  engaged  to  a  Countess  Schulenburg.  For  a 
long  time  Caroline  wanted  to  make  such  a  match  as  that, 
and  impressed  it  upon  me  daily  last  autumn  in  Unglingen, 
while  1  was  forging  entirely  different  plans.  How  come 
Caroline  and  the  hussars  to  agree? 

On  my  window-sill,  among  all  sorts  of  crocuses  and 
hyacinths,  stand  two  camellias  which  always  inspire 
me  with  strange  thoughts.  One  of  them,  slender  and 
pretty,  with  its  ornamental  crown  and  soft,  pale,  very 
pale,  pink  blossoms,  but  little  foliage  and  only  two  buds, 
transports  me  to  Reddetin,  holds  itself  rather  stiffly  and 
lisps  English.  The  other  strikes  the  eye  with  far  less 
beauty,  and  its  stalk  betrays  in  its  gnarled  twisting  lack 
of  care  in  pruning.  From  the  midst  of  the  foliage  looks 
out  a  dead  branch,  but  the  crown  is  rich  in  leaves  and  the 
leaves  greener  than  its  neighbor's :  it  promises  a  rich 
bloom  in  its  eight  buds,  and  its  color  is  deep  dark  red  and 
white  in  irregular,  gay  variegation.     Do  you  take  the 

58 


1847]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

comparison  amiss?  It  is  a  lame  comparison,  moreover, 
for  I  do  not  love  camellias,  because  they  are  without  odor, 
and  you  I  love  precisely  for  the  fragrance  of  your  spirit's 
bloom,  which  is  white,  dark  red,  and  black. 

I  really  am  capable  of  a  passion  for  flowers,  but  those 
without  perfume  which  are  the  pride  of  most  gardeners — 
dahlias,  peonies,  tulips,  camellias — have  been  indifferent 
to  me  since  I  was  a  child.  With  regard  to  people,  I  have 
again  and  again  been  obliged  to  disabuse  my  mind  of  the 
naturally  implanted  error,  which  from  external  beauty 
unconsciously  infers  an  interior  to  correspond.  I  never 
have-  found  such  an  agreement:  the  nearest  approach 
to  it  is  in  Caroline,  but  her  beauty  is  very  far  from  reg- 
ularity, and  on  the  other  hand  her  worldly  -  wise  and 
world-loving  sense  lacks  precisely  that  je  ne  sais  quoi, 
that  fragrant  breath  from  the  unfathomed  inmost  depths 
of  the  spirit,  which  is  neither  poetry  nor  love  nor  religion, 
but  which  reinforces  and  elevates  all  three,  and,  where  its 
influence  is  felt,  makes  one  more  receptive  to  them.  Its 
caricature  I  call  sentimentality;  the  genuine  thing  I  feel 
when  I  am  with  you.  But  I  know  no  word  for  it  just 
now. 

Perhaps  I  shall  write  a  few  lines  more  in  the  morning, 
or  maybe  I  shall  only  have  time  to  seal  this  up.  The 
water  does  not  seem  to  be  dangerous  on  this  occasion,  but 
if  we  do  not  have  warmer  weather  with  rain,  it  will  un- 
fortunately be  slow  in  running  off.  Most  cordial  re- 
membrances to  your  dear  parents,  to  whom  I  should  also 
write,  and  to  whom  I  beg  that  you  will  communicate  any 
part  of  my  letters  that  you  think  suitable.    Farewell. 

Your 

Bismarck. 


THE  LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK       [Feb. 

The  25th. 

At  last  the  Elbe  has  risen  two  feet  overnight.  If  she 
is  going  to  be  so  tiresomely  gentle-spirited  every  year  as 
this  year  till  now,  then  I  should  resign  the  command  of  her 
floods.  I'd  rather  walk  than  ride  lazy  horses.  It  is  now, 
at  7  A.M.,  four  degrees  below  freezing,  but  feels  warmer 
to  me.  The  snow  has  been  falling  lightly,  and,  without 
the  slightest  breeze  stirring,  perpendicularly,  for  an  hour; 
mist  lies  over  the  country;  and,  as  here  the  ticking  of 
the  big  clock,  so  there  is  no  sound  outside  but  the  light 
clink  of  the  gliding  ice  on  the  river  and  the  monotonous 
cry  of  the  wild  geese,  which  tell  me  the  welcome  news 
that  the  melting  weather  will  last.  Even  the  people  are 
quiet  on  the  dike  to-day,  and  let  themselves  be  snowed 
on  like  posts,  and  all  look  sleepy — for  which  I  can  hardly 
blame  them,  as  they  had  the  worst  night-watch,  from 
twelve  to  six.  Four  times  in  twenty-four  hours  they  are 
relieved,  but  I  never. 

I  enclose  a  sample  of  the  camellias  for  you,  but  the  dark 
red  will  fade  if  Herr  Boge,  or  whatever  the  name  of  the 
Zuckers  postmaster  was,  keeps  it  three  days  again.  I 
wonder  whether  they  read  my  letters  there.  I  always 
get  yours  according  to  schedule  the  second  day.  At  the 
little  stations  in  Pomerania  there  are  people  enough  who 
are  curious  and  have  nothing  to  do.  Where  the  Dresden 
railway  crosses  the  Elbe  at  Riesa,  breaks  in  the  dike  have 
occurred.  I  do  not  understand  why  more  water  does  not 
come  here.  May  God  guard  you,  Jeanne  the  black,  and 
bring  us  soon  together.     Je  m'impatiente. 

25th,  Evening. 
DEAREST, — I  cannot  write  to  your  mother  without  send- 
ing you  a  few  lines  of  thanks  for  your  sausage-perfumed 

60 


I'RINCKSS    llhMAKl'K 


1847]       THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

letter,  and  bringing  to  light  a  genuine  bit  of  childish- 
ness. You  wouldn't  believe  how  superstitious  I  am, 
but  just  when  I  had  come  in,  and,  according  to  directions 
in  your  mother's  letter,  opened  the  package  of  sausages 
and  broken  the  seal  of  your  letter,  the  large  clock  sud- 
denly, and  quite  without  occasion,  stopped  still  at  three 
minutes  before  six.  It  is  an  old  English  hall-clock  that 
my  grandfather  had  from  his  youth  up,  that  for  seventy 
years  has  been  standing  on  the  same  spot,  had  never  been 
out  of  order,  and  also  never  had  run  down.  I  jogged  it 
and  it  went  again.  Write  me  immediately  that  you  are 
well  and  in  good  spirits.  Your  mother  also  complains 
that  you  are  getting  pale  and  thin.  All  that  makes  me 
so  anxious,  childish  as  I  am.  A  little  while  ago  1  had  a 
distressing  experience.  A  respectable  official  whom  I 
had  a  mind  to  scold  because  he  had  not  been  at  his  post, 
replied  simply,  "My  only  son  has  just  died."  It  made 
me  so  sad.  I  will  come  as  soon  as  the  flood  is  over,  in 
spite  of  all  the  district  meetings.  Only  write  me  that  you 
are  well. 

I  did  not  assume  'hat  you  were  distrustful  in  spite  of 
your  letter  at  that  time ;  else  I  should  perhaps  not  have 
sent  you  the  English  verses.  I  only  wanted  to  warn 
you  against  it,  and  should  not  have  done  that  if  you  had 
not  prompted  it — that  is,  the  warning.  My  trust  in  you 
is  so  immovable :  why  should  I  not  take  for  granted  a 
similar  confidence  on  your  part?  You  must  really  take 
my  letters  less  seriously  than  you  seem  to  do:  the  written 
word  has  such  a  .solemn  and  indestructible  look,  and  there 
is  need  of  an  inflection  of  the  voice  to  explain  it;  but, 
my  heart,  I  write  to  you — chatting  as  if  we  were  sitting 
together  —  many  a  word  for  which  I  do  not  wish  to  be 
held  responsible,  as  though  it  were  spoken  in  confiden- 

61 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Feb. 

tial,  easy-going  talk  and  were  blown  away  by  the  wind. 
1  am  beginning  to  be  afraid  that  nty  last  letters,  which 
are  still  on  the  way,  will  make  on  you  a  more  serious  im- 
pression than  they  ought,  for  they  were,  I  fancy,  quite 
astonishingly  over-wise.  I  would  so  much  rather  say 
all  that  to  you  while  1  hold  you  in  my  arms  and  look  into 
your  ej^es :  then  1  could  be  sure  not  to  give  you  pain,  my 
heart,  and  coidd  immediately  see  it  in  your  features  if 
1  had  been  unskilful  —  like  the  bear  who  smashes  the 
fly  on  his  master's  forehead  with  a  stone.  When  you 
read  the  English  poems,  my  angel,  keep  in  mind  that 
1  did  not  make  them,  but  Byron.  Had  1  been  the  poet 
and  told  the  truth  in  them,  the  contents  would  certainly 
have  been  love  once  for  all. 

Do  write  me  immediately  how  you  are  getting  on  in 
health.  I  had  such  a  hateful  dream.  Moritz  had  said 
to  you  that  it  was  all  up  with  us,  we  were  lost  together 
because  my  faith  was  not  correct  and  firm,  and  \tou  shoved 
me  into  the  rolling  sea  from  the  plank  which  I  had  seized 
in  the  shipwreck,  for  fear  it  would  not  support  us  both, 
and  you  turned  from  me,  and  I  was  once  more  as  of  old, 
only  poorer  by  loss  of  a  hope  and  of  a  friend.  When  I 
awoke,  I  smiled  with  the  accepted  lover's  complacency: 
"  The  English  call  that  a  nightmare,  the  Germans  call 
it  an  Alp."  You  must  have  received  a  letter  this  even- 
ing, a  fragmentary  one,  perhaps  just  as  the  old  clock  of 
fate  stopped.  1  am  so  nervously  excited  to-day;  I  will 
take  another  ride  to  quiet  myself,  and  look  after  the  guards. 
Do  take  care  of  your  eyes,  my  dear  one.  Soyez  Jeanne 
la  sage.  How  nice  of  your  mother  to  write  me.  Forgive 
this  too-hurried  scrawl.  My  musical  huntsman  is  play- 
ing on  the  flute  down-stairs  a  very  soothing  tune,  "  Thine 
is  my  heart " — and  it  shall  always  be,  you  angel.  B. 

62 


1847]       THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

It  is  seven  degrees  below  freezing  again,  and  clear  star- 
light: the  water  is  kept  back  by  it  uncommon^.  But 
were  it  otherwise  the  danger  would  be  very  great  this 
year.  At  last  the  Elbe  rose  to-day  three  feet,  and  fills 
all  its  bed  like  a  lake.  If  rains  and  high  winds  come  while 
the  water  is  up,  there  may  be  distress  yet.  So  long  as 
the  Elbe  does  not  take  to  its  old  bed — i.  e.,  from  a  lake 
become  a  river — I  cannot  get  away  under  the  regulations, 
as  1  unfortunately  have  no  substitute.  Let  us  be  patient 
during  this  time,  and  take  comfort  in  view  of  other  be- 
trothed couples  severed  for  years.  Bellin  received  the 
letters  with  deep  emotion,  and  showed  them  to  me  with 
pride. 

Reading  this  letter  at  daylight,  I  had  a  great  mind  to 
burn  it,  and  shoidd  have  done  so  if  I  had  had  the  time  for 
writing  another  one.  It's  all  humbug;  but,  the  ink  being 
spent,  you  must  take  your  chance.  Read  it,  tear  it,  and 
never  mind* 

SCHONHAUSEN,  February  28,   1847. 

BELOVEDST, — With  but  a  few  lines  can  I  thank  you 
for  your  letter  of  Friday,  as  1  must  still  let  streams  of  offi- 
cial ink  (which  is  much  more  gray  than  other  sorts)  flow 
through  my  pen  this  evening ;  but  to-morrow  must  start 
early,  and  not  return  to  the  house  all  day. 

In  reply  to  your  letter  of  last  Sunday — as  yet  the  longest, 
and,  therefore,  most  valued — 1  would  tell  you  how  deeply 
1  was  touched  by  the  sympathy  you  have  bestowed  upon 
my  past  life :  1  took  the  occasion  to  pity  myself  once  more 
quite  unfeignedly  that  life  and  people  have  so  played  with 
me.     1  was  actually  quite  aged  already  in  my  twenty-third 

•Paragraph  in  italics  was  written  in  English. 

6* 


THE  LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Feb. 

year — at  any  rate,  far  and  away  more  blase  than  at  pres- 
ent; and  I  regarded  myself  as  quite  unhappy,  found  the 
world  and  life  in  it  stale  and  unprofitable,  more  so  than 
I  was  willing  to  hint  to  my  cousin  or  my  father.  I  have 
perhaps  grown  more  capricious,  too,  like  my  handwriting — 
you  are  right  in  that :  one  usually  grows  more  so  with 
years;  still,  with  women  it  becomes  easier  for  me  to  con- 
trol this  fault,  and  it  will  hardly  be  your  lot  to  3Tield  against 
your  inclination.  But  how  is  it  going  to  be  with  me? 
I  am  really  curious  to  know  whether  you  will  yet  get  me 
into  a  black  velvet  covering  or  not.  In  March,  at  any 
rate,  you  cannot  accomplish  that  without  danger  to  my 
health — it  is  only  a  summer  costume. 

The  Elbe  begins  to  fall  again,  but  is  still  eight  to  ten 
feet  higher  than  the  surrounding  country,  and  this  incal- 
culable mass  of  water  is  held  together  and  prevented  from 
inundating  the  country  only  by  narrow  dikes,  just  wide 
enough  for  a  wagon  to  be  driven  on  them.  If  God  did  not 
send  the  freezing  weather  to  enchain  the  confluents  from 
time  to  time,  we  should  be  exposed  to  very  dangerous 
conditions.  Meanwhile  the  larger  part  of  the  water  has 
now  passed  down-stream,  I  hope,  or  is  passing,  and  that 
which  the  cold  held  back  will  soon  follow,  for  the  weather 
has  been  mild  since  early  this  morning.  Moreover,  it 
has  been  superbly  calm  as  yet,  so  that  the  dikes  have  not 
suffered  from  the  waves.  This  peaceable  solution  of  the 
matter  is,  however,  a  tiresome  one  also,  for  it  results  in 
a  much  longer  duration  of  the  freshet.  If  this  quiet  weather 
lasts,  1  think  that  all  anxiety  will  have  passed  in  eight  to 
twelve  da}Ts ;  but  if  rain  and  storm  come  on,  it  may  have 
finished  two  or  three  days  sooner,  though  with  risk,  for 
there  is  still  so  much  snow  in  the  mountains  that  if  it 
melts  suddenlv  the  water  will  rise  above  our  heads.     Be- 

64 


1847]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

fore  the  10th,  therefore,  the  flood  will  not  set  me  free — 
perhaps  later.  Then  I  have  a  few  sessions  with  litigious 
peasant  communities,  which  I  could  indeed  arrange  after 
the  20th;  and  yet  they  must  come  off,  sooner  or  later. 
But  even  if  I  do  postpone  them,  the  question  still  remains 
whether,  after  deducting  twice  forty-eight  hours  for  the 
journey  there  and  back,  I  have  time  enough  left  over  to 
go  to  you.     Nous  verrons :  the  result  will  show. 

I  saw  my  good  mare  Miss  Breeze  depart  to-day  with 
some  sadness.  She  fell  on  the  dike  several  times  with 
me,  for  no  good  reason — a  sign  that  she  had  outlived  her 
usefulness  as  a  riding  horse,  at  least  for  me.  She  has 
carried  me  over  many  a  piece  of  land  and  many  a  ditch; 
in  reward  for  which  she  shall  find  repose  in  the  care  of  my 
friend,  Ulrich  Dewitz,  a  great  horse-breeder,  and  devote 
herself  till  her  death  to  the  delights  of  maternity.  I  take 
the  liberty  of  introducing  to  you  and  commending,  as 
her  successor  here,  and  your  future  acquaintance,  a  six- 
year-old  youth,  Mr.  Mousquetaire,  son  of  Demetrius  and 
Red-rover-mare,  who  is  said  to  find  no  obstacle  on  the 
land  too  high  or  too  broad,  and  who  in  the  last  stag-hunt 
in  Ivenack  never  for  a  second  lost  sight  of  the  leader  of 
the  pack. 

You  care  for  nobody?  But  that  is  not  a  bit  true,  my 
heart,  and  the  inference  is  also  untrue,  and,  moreover, 
both  of  them  will  never  be  true,  however  romantic  it  seems 
to  you ;  it  is  so  tiresome  that,  in  the  long  run,  nobody  can 
endure  it,  even  with  Christianity's  consolation — for  I 
believe  it  is  in  direct  contradiction  therewith,  and  the 
latter  is  eclipsed  where  that  utterance  can  be  true.  That 
is  another  issue  of  the  contest  between  faith  and  works. 
Faith  that  allows  the  believer  to  segregate  himself  from 
his  brothers  on  this  earth,  so  that  he  contents  himself 
E  65 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Feb. 

with  a  putative  isolated  relation  to  the  Lord  alone,  in  mere 
contemplation,  is  a  dead  faith,  that  I  characterized,  if 
I  am  not  mistaken,  in  an  earlier  letter  as  quietism  (from 
quies,  rest) — an  erroneous  way,  in  my  opinion,  into  which 
pietism  easily  and  often  leads,  especially  with  women. 
By  this  I  mean  with  the  isolation — surely  not  the  spiritual 
arrogance  that  esteems  itself  holier  than  others — but, 
I  might  say,  the  quiet  waiting  for  the  Lord's  day,  in  faith 
and  hope,  but  without  what  seems  to  me  true  love.  Where 
that  is,  there  the  need  exists,  I  believe,  to  unite  one's  self 
in  friendship  or  through  other  ties  more  closely  to  some 
visible  being  than  through  the  bonds  of  the  universal 
Christian  love.  Jesus  himself  had  a  disciple  whom  he 
"loved,"  that  is,  loved  more  deeply  and  differently  from 
what  the  saying  means,  "Love  one  another"  —  for  I 
am  sure  you  do  not  want  to  exclude  this  last  command 
with  your  "  caring  for  nobody. "  But  you  should  do  more : 
you  should  have  souls  that  come  nearer  to  you  than  others, 
even  though  you  should  some  time  live  without  me — 
which,  despite  your  sad  premonitions  about  our  never 
seeing  each  other  again,  is  not  likely  to  happen  so  soon. 
Nevertheless,  faita  sia  la  tua  volonta,  and  should  it.  so 
happen,  then  think  of  this,  my  heart.  I  contend  on 
principle  against  every  gloomy  view  of  the  future,  though 
I  do  not  always  master  them;  I  make  an  effort  to  hope 
for  the  best  in  all  circumstances,  always,  of  course,  with 
the  foregoing  Italian  words  of  the  Lord's  Prayer  as  fun- 
damental thoughts.  Suffering,  when  it  comes,  makes 
itself  felt  soon  enough — I  do  not  wish  to  anticipate  it 
through  fear. 

You  ask  me  whether  a  locked-up  heart  is  a  very  bad 
thing.  I  cannot  say  yes,  unconditionally,  but  I  am  very 
much  of  your  opinion  that  one  should  not  wear  it  on  the 

66 


1847]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

sleeve  before  everybody,  but  lay  it  open  only  to  the  eyes 
of  intimate  friends. 

The  dividing-line  between  reticence  and  deceit,  or  even 
untruthfulness,  it  is  not  always  easy  to  draw,  and  every 
one  must  act  for  himself  as  he  can  answer  for  it.  In 
ordinary  intercourse  politeness  imposes  dissimulations 
enough,  and  a  certain  degree  of  perfection  in  these  seems 
to  me  very  desirable.  Towards  those  who  are  greatly 
troubled  and  anxious  when  we  are  sick  our  love  leads  us 
to  employ  such  dissimulations,  to  spare  them  pain;  still 
oftener  a  lack  of  confidence  is  the  occasion  in  cases  where 
this  is  regarded  very  unfavorably,  particularly  towards 
parents.  Nearly  every  mother  sheds  secret  tears  during  the 
period  when  she  must  perceive  that  her  children  gradually 
— perhaps  against  their  wish,  and  while  struggling  for 
the  contrary — are  estranged  from  her  heart,  and  become 
colder  and  more  reserved  even  towards  her  who  formerly 
directed  or  knew  every  emotion  of  the  childish  spirit — a 
sort  of  fall  of  man  repeated  in  every  child,  in  that  it  comes 
to  feel  that  it  must  cover  its  faults  before  its  mother,  and 
veils  itself. 

Would  you  really  like  to  kill  yourself  with  weeping, 
my  angel?  You  should  at  least  not  let  your  parents  hear 
that;  but  tell  me  why.  (I  am  an  Altmarker,  who  wants 
to  know  reasons;  from  the  time  I  was  two  years  old  until 
I  was  seven,  I  was  brought  up  in  Pomerania — hence  I 
sometimes  can't  understand  a  joke.)  Why  do  you  wish 
to  cry?  Because  you  have  been  thoughtless  enough 
to  promise  yourself  in  marriage?  Because  your  parents 
and  the  other  people  love  you  so?  Because  spring  is 
coming,  and  we  shall  soon  see  each  other  again?  The 
thing  you  lack  is  misfortune,  my  angel;  or,  because 
the  Lord  does  not  send  it  to  you,  you  make  some  for  your- 

67 


THE  LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK       [Feb. 

self.  Among  human  beings,  according  to  their  con- 
stitution, every  nature  craves  its  due  ration  of  trouble 
and  sorrow;  and  if  real  troubles  and  sorrows  are  omitted, 
imagination  must  supply  them;  or  if  it  cannot  do  so,  one 
pines  with  pessimism,  with  general,  unintelligent  tear- 
fulness.    Or  are  these  still  "Harzthranen?"  * 

Moritz,  instead  of  uplifting  and  strengthening  him- 
self by  your  cheerfulness,  is  dragging  you  down  into  the 
sea  of  tears.  In  this  grief,  which  cannot  be  assuaged, 
both  of  you  betray  a  quite  distinct  lack  of  faith  and  sub- 
mission, dispute  it  as  much  as  you  like — a  doubt  of  re- 
union, of  eternal  life,  a  doubt  of  God's  love.  I  am  so  very 
sorry  that  Moritz  has  not  kept  the  joyful,  trustful  dis- 
position which  he  showed  in  the  beginning.  Would  your 
grief  be  like  this  if  Marie  had  gone  away  on  a  journey 
for  "an  indefinite  period"?  If  it  is  different,  then  you  do 
not  believe  what  you  profess :  you  only  hope  and  wish 
it.  And  if  you  furthermore  knew  that  she  was  happy 
and  content  on  that  journey?  Then,  too,  were  you  not 
almost  constantly  separated  in  times  past,  without  know- 
ing when  you  would  see  each  other  again — or  whether, 
at  least  in  this  world?  With  faith  as  I  understand  it,  and 
as  I  ask  God  to  give  it,  it  is  inconceivable  to  me  that  one 
can  be  inconsolable.  When  I  write  to  Moritz  I  have  the 
impulse  to  take  him  by  the  shoulders  and  shake  him  right 
heartily. 

Cordial  remembrances  to  your  parents.  I  must  go 
out  now,  and  have  written  these  lines  to-day  in  haste, 
while  drinking  salted  milk  as  in  Reinfeld.  My  head 
was  so  very  full  of  business  last  evening,  and  still  is,  that 
I  cannot  write  you  freely.     A  cordial  farewell,  my  love, 

*  Compare  letter  of  February  17,  1847. 

68 


1847]      THE  LOVE   LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK 

and  do  not  weep  so  much;  and  yet  if  you  do,  at  least  let 
me  know  of  it.  B. 

March  1st. 

SCHONHAUSEN,  March  4,  1847. 

MY  DEAR  HEART, — On  my  return  from  the  District  Diet 
yesterday  I  was  very  agreeably  surprised  to  find  your 
letter,  which  I  did  not  expect  till  to-day.  All  sorts  of 
unforeseen  police  matters  prevented  my  answering  it 
this  morning  before  the  mail  closed ;  and  now  that  a  lively 
gallop  on  Mousquetaire  has  rid  me  of  vexation  and  head- 
ache (consequences  of  the  bad  wine  I  had  to  drink  yester- 
day with  the  delegates),  I  find  myself  for  the  first  time  in 
undisturbed  tete-a-tete  with  your  dear  letter. 

You  felt,  no  doubt,  that  you  were  a  very  sensible  person 
when  you  beheld  your  cold-blooded,  skeptical  friend  in  the 
cloud-land  of  superstition  and  interpretation  of  dreams. 
Strange  enough  it  is,  too;  but  who  will  explain  the  con- 
tradictions that  exist  in  the  nature  of  every  individual? 
Hobbes,  the  materialistic  atheist,  could  not  sleep  alone 
for  fear  of  ghosts.  Now  although  I,  trusting  in  God's 
supreme  power  and  submissive  to  his  will,  am  not  ex- 
actly afraid  of  supernatural  contacts  and  influences — 
at  least  not  more  than  of  those  which  are  corporeal — yet 
I  do  believe,  to  express  it  in  Hamlet's  hackneyed  words, 
that  there  are  many  things  between  heaven  and  earth 
of  which  our  philosophers  do  not  dream,  or,  if  they  do 
dream  of  them,  of  which  they  can  give  no  satisfactory 
account.  Yes,  in  the  deeper  sense,  all  in  us,  and  out  of 
us,  belongs  in  this  category,  and  the  expression  "  a  miracle" 
always  draws  from  me  an  inward  smile  at  the  lack  of 
logic,  for  we  see  miracles  every  minute,  and  nothing  but 
miracles.     Those  for  which  we  are  blunted  by  daily  usage 

69 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK      [Mar. 

we  account  the  natural  course  of  affairs,  that  every  pre- 
cocious fool  thinks  he  can  see  through  to  the  bottom; 
but  if  something  attracts  our  notice  that  is  new  and  ap- 
parently foreign  to  the  course  of  the  great  machine  hitherto 
observed,  though  not  explained,  then  we  cry  out  "mir- 
acles," as  though  this  were  the  only  manifestation  that 
we  could  not  comprehend. 

One's  neighbors  in  the  country  are  really  very  burden- 
some. There  I  sit  quite  pleasantly  at  my  writing;  some- 
body   knocks    at    the    door    unannounced.     "Death!     I 

know  that  is .    Oh,  that  the  tedious  sneak  should  break 

in  upon  this  throng  of  memories."  As  an  individual 
he  may  be  excellent ;  as  a  companion  he  was  intolerable 
to  me  to-day.  I  made  a  face  like  a  prison-door,  said  not 
a  word,  but  he  sat  for  wellnigh  two  hours,  told  me  com- 
monplace stories,  and  talked  to  me  about  railways  and 
horticulture.  I  have  become  quite  unsociable — a  sign 
that  I  am  growing  old;  I  do  not  like  to  be  disturbed  in 
my  daily  customs  and  comfort.  Immediately  after  he 
had  left,  resounded  the  command  to  Hildebrand  (my 
valet)  that  from  dinner  till  sunset  I  am  never  at  home 
to  any  one.  How  different  that  used  to  be! — any  person 
with  whom  I  could  talk  without  formalit\T  I  was  glad  to 
see  in  my  house  at  any  hour,  could  alwa37s  find  enter- 
tainment in  him,  and  now  even  a  scholar  like  Herr  .  .  . 
This  was,  however,  at  least  the  twentieth  person  to  whom 
I  was  obliged  to  call  out  "Come  in!"  to-day,  naturally  with 
more  of  a  growl  each  time.  Shall  you  and  I  both  be  like 
bears  in  our  passion  to  be  undisturbed?  In  that  case 
we  shall  have  to  go  straightway  to  the  Oie,  and  in  winter 
up  on  the  Brock  en. 

Your  letter  made  a  very  agreeable  impression  on  me, 
as  being  quieter,  less  excited  than  sometimes — by  which 

70 


1847]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

I  do  not  in  the  least  mean  to  blame  the  excited  ones,  for, 
on  the  contrary,  I  like  excitement,  and  I  conceive  both 
characterizations  in  the  sense  of  praise  (variety,  etc.). 
Two  things  in  them  especially  reassured  me :  that  I  have 
never  wounded  you  in  my  letters,  and  that  you  clearly 
and  decidedly  express  your  indulgence  and  patience  for 
my  possible  errors  in  religious  belief  and  my  skepticism, 
and  that  you  will  love  me  still,  even  though  God  should 
lead  our  hearts  different  ways.  Probably  in  no  field 
is  the  saying  "Judge  not,  that  ye  be  not  judged,"  more 
applicable  than  in  matters  of  belief.  According  to  my 
view,  the  latter  are  no  impediment  to  earthly  unions,  pro- 
vided neither  of  those  who  are  united  is  a  scoffer  and  con- 
temner. A  step  further,  and  they  yield  an  element  of  com- 
mon spiritual  life,  provided  both  associates  are  "  believers  " 
— by  which  I  do  not  mean  that  both  believe  precisely  the 
same  thing  and  attach  themselves  to  the  same  formulated 
confession  exactly  and  word  for  word,  but  only  that  both 
earnestly  and  humbly  study  and  pray  that  they  may 
attain  to  the  true  faith,  while  committing  the  outcome 
to  God.  I  remember  that  when  we  were  taking  a  walk 
from  Wartensleben,  we  talked  of  some  one  who  did  not 
believe  in  the  fall  of  man,  or  perhaps  some  other  doctrine 
of  the  Bible.  You  were  somewhat  alarmed,  as  it  seemed  to 
me,  because  I  did  not  accept  your  repudiation  of  such  heresy 
with  the  same  vivacity  that  you  showed  in  expressing  it. 
I  do  not  know  whether  1  am  saying  something  new  to 
you  when  I  explain  that  I  also  have  not  hitherto  been  able 
to  accept  all  that  is  written  in  the  Bible.  1  certainly  be- 
lieve that  it  contains  the  word  of  God,  but  only  as  it  has 
been  possible  for  this  to  be  transmitted  and  communicated 
to  us  by  persons  who,  even  the  most  holy,  were  still  sub- 
ject to  sin  and  to  misunderstanding.     For  such  persons 

71 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS  OF  BISMARCK   [Mar. 

were  the  Apostles  and  the  other  authors  of  the  sacred 
writings,  and  therefore  they  could  only  apprehend  and  re- 
state God's  word  according  to  their  human  characteristics, 
even  when  it  came  to  them  directly,  as  to  the  Apostles; 
still  more  so  when  it  reached  them,  not  from  the  Master 
himself,  but  through  manifold  human  intermediation, 
as  the  Evangelist  Luke.  You  know  that  Paul  was  not 
converted  till  after  Christ's  death;  that  this  Evangelist 
was  a  later  disciple  of  the  Apostles  and  other  disciples. 
Therefore,  when  I  am  in  doubt,  I  attach  more  value  to  pas- 
sages from  the  writings  of  the  Apostles  themselves  than 
to  those  of  Paul  and  Luke.  You  will  urge  in  answer  the 
outpouring  of  the  Holy  Ghost  upon  those  authors  and  the 
subsequent  communication  of  it  to  their  disciples,  and 
that  it  is  presumptuous  to  wish  to  judge  of  the  Scriptures 
according  to  individual  opinion;  and  in  this  you  may 
perhaps  be  right.  If  it  is  not  distasteful  to  you,  I  will 
tell  you  by  word  of  mouth  more  about  this  subject  and 
the  foundation  of  my  view :  the  written  word  always  says 
too  much  for  me,  I  think,  and  is  so  easily  stretched  by 
interpretation  and  misunderstood.  Then,  too,  I  should 
like  to  avoid  even  the  appearance  of  wishing  to  draw  you 
over  into  religious  agitation  like  that  which  is  going  on 
in  myself.  I  am  so  glad  that  you  hold  fast  immovably 
to  that  which  you  have  recognized  as  being  true,  and  I 
should  account  it  a  sin  on  my  part  if  the  least  item  of  your 
faith  were  shaken  through  my  fault.  I  have  uttered  the 
foregoing  merely  for  the  sake  of  candor,  and  not  as  a 
result  that  1  had  won  in  faith,  but  as  a  way-station  where 
I  find  myself  at  present,  and  from  which  God  will  help 
me  on,  as  he  has  helped  me  hitherto.  Be  not  anxious 
and  concerned,  therefore,  at  anything  that  might  seem  to 
you  at  all  harmful   or  skeptical  in  that  confession;   in 

72 


1847]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

so  doing  you  would  be  beginning  to  judge  me :  but  recall, 
rather,  what  my  prospects  were  on  that  Whitsuntide  when 
we  stood  at  the  window  together  in  Cardemin,  and  what 
a  change  has  taken  place  in  me  since  then. 

Rome  was  not  built  in  a  day,  and  all  the  houses  in  it 
do  not  look  alike,  any  more  than  do  the  inmates,  who 
are,  nevertheless,  all  Romans.  As  for  my  journey,  I  can 
say,  unfortunately,  that  it  certainly  will  not  take  place 
before  the  20th.  The  Elbe  is  harmless  for  the  present,  it 
is  true,  but  with  the  great  quantities  of  unmelted  snow  in 
the  mountains,  as  soon  as  the  thaw  becomes  more  decided 
a  second  freshet  cannot  fail  to  occur.  If  this  comes  after 
the  20th,  I  shall  not  suffer  myself  to  be  detained  by  it: 
I  am  tired  of  waiting.  But  before  that  I  have  too  much 
other  business  to  be  able  to  get  away.  I  should  be  obliged 
to  be  here  on  the  18th,  as  a  meeting  of  the  estates  pre- 
paratory to  the  20th  takes  place  on  the  19th,  and,  accord- 
ingly, should  have  to  leave  Reinfeld  on  the  16th.  On 
Monday,  the  8th,  I  must  be  in  Magdeburg,  where  I  have 
business  with  Gerlach.  Three  long-drawn-out  sessions 
here  in  the  neighborhood  and  a  matter  with  the  minister 
of  justice,  which  will  necessitate  a  stop  of  several  days 
in  Berlin,  are  postponable,  yet  unavoidable,  impediments, 
which,  if  1  should  disregard  them  now,  would  keep  me 
the  longer  away  from  you  after  the  20th.  Besides,  I  have 
to  attend  to  some  rather  far-reaching  literary  work,  as 
the  estates  of  several  districts  of  the  province  have  in- 
trusted to  me  the  development  of  a  plan  I  suggested  three 
months  ago  for  transforming  our  judicial  system,  and 
chosen  me  as  their  representative  in  Berlin  in  this  matter 
— a  very  honorable,  yet  very  burdensome  office.  If  I 
had  foreseen  three  months  ago  how  it  was  going  to  be 
with  us,  I  should  have  postponed  the  reform  plans  some- 

73 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS  OF  BISMARCK   [Mar. 

what;  but  now  they  must  be  submitted  to  the  King  before 
the  meeting  of  the  Landtag,  as  the  matter  will  probably 
come  up  for  action  in  that  [body].  .  .  . 

I  was  grieved  to  reach  the  conclusion  to-day,  and  not 
for  the  first  time,  that  I  must  get  rid  of  Odin  if  we  come 
into  closer  relations  with  B.,  for  the  foolish  beast  simply 
cannot  stand  any  Jews,  either  genuine  or  baptized,  and 
gives  the  rein  to  this  prejudice  so  unrestrainedly  and 
bloodthirstily  that  he  has  to  be  chained  up  as  long  as  a 
descendant  of  the  Patriarchs  tarries  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  house — which  shows  him  to  be  a  very  sharp-eyed 
connoisseur  of  national  peculiarities.  Your  mother's 
joke  on  my  dislike  of  B.  was  not  misunderstood,  even 
if  I  did  interpret  it  as  a  half-serious  caution.  Perhaps 
I  should  have  done  otherwise  if  you  had  made  the  re- 
mark, however  much  of  a  Pomeranian  I  have  become. 
It  is  impossible  to  tell  from  the  written  word  whether  the 
ink,  while  it  was  wet,  mirrored  a  bantering  eye  or  the 
lines  of  anxious  seriousness,  and  from  ladies  I  am  accus- 
tomed (I  tell  you  in  confidence)  to  regard  many  a  saying 
as  serious  which  in  a  man's  mouth  I  should  never  take 
to  be  so. 

Enclosed  I  send  you  a  rather  insignificant  view  of  the 
house  here,  as  it  looks  on  the  gabled  side  when  seen  from 
the  garden.  The  windows  on  this  side  belong  to  unin- 
habited rooms,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  they  command  a 
wide  and  quite  pleasant  view  over  the  smooth  plain  of 
the  Elbe  Valley  and  the  higher  banks  on  the  farther 
side. 

Day  before  yesterday  I  received  from  Moritz  a  very 
dear  letter,  much  more  calm  and  clear  than  the  last,  about 
which  he  himself  speaks  with  disapproval.  Do  me  the 
favor,  my  heart,  not  to  excite  each  other  to  tears;  events 

74 


1847]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

in  themselves  have  done  more  than  enough  in  that  direc- 
tion ;  but  rather  let  each  of  you  give  courage  to  the  other, 
make  your  music  in  a  major  key,  and  for  my  sake  stop 
getting  pale  and  thin,  lest  on  the  23d  I  stand  for  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  shaking  my  head  in  front  of  you  before  I  em- 
brace you.  It  is  an  abuse  of  privilege  which  our  father- 
confessor  is  guilty  of  with  you  that  he  uses  your  eyes 
as  watering-pots  for  the  plants  of  his  sorrow.  .  .  . 

So,  then,  you  think  Senff t  considered  it  a  "  good  deal " 
that  a  girl  could  be  clever  and  good  and  pious :  I  thought 
they  all  were  that.  Now,  what  are  the  others  to  me?  1 
have  nothing  more  to  do  with  them,  except  perhaps  your 
waiting-maid;  see  to  it,  then,  that  she  does  not  belong  in 
the  opposite  category,  for  should  she  be  transferred  from 
Reinfeld  to  this  house  she  would  have  a  long  return  trip. 
Even  without  taking  that  into  account,  I  find  it  very  hard 
to  make  up  my  mind  to  dismiss  people,  once  I  have  taken 
them  into  my  service,  and  I  hope  you  will  have  the  same 
principles  with  respect  to  the  female  part  of  the  regiment. 
The  atmosphere  here  preserves  the  rabble.  Bellin  is 
a  peasant's  son  from  the  village  here,  who  began  as  stable- 
boy  in  my  father's  employ,  and  has  been  forty  years  in 
our  service — thirty-two  of  them  as  inspector.  His  wife 
was  born  in  our  service,  a  daughter  of  the  former,  sister 
of  the  present,  shepherd.  The  latter  and  the  master- 
tiler,  who  also  will  soon  be  sixty,  are  of  the  second  genera- 
tion in  service  here,  and  their  fathers  held  the  same  posi- 
tions under  my  grandfather  and  father.  The  gardener's 
family,  unfortunately,  died  out  last  year  with  the  decease 
of  a  childless  man  of  seventy-five,  who  had  inherited  the 
position  from  his  father.  The  herdsman  knew  my  father 
when  he  was  an  ensign;  when  my  f.ither  died  the  land- 
steward  and  huntsman  resigned  their  offices  on  account 

75 


THE    LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK      [Mar. 

of  the  infirmities  of  age,  both  after  serving  almost  fifty 
years — the  son  of  Nimrod  after  I  had  been  obliged  to  assure 
him  that  he  should  have  the  shooting  of  all  the  hares  that 
I  needed  for  the  kitchen,  although  the  poor  bungler  can 
no  longer  see  well  enough  to  do  it.  Even  among  the 
birds  of  passage,  the  maids,  are  some  whom  1  have  known 
for  ten  years,  and  perhaps  longer.  I  cannot  deny  that 
1  am  somewhat  proud  that  this  conservative  principle 
has  prevailed  so  many  years  in  this  house,  in  which  my 
ancestors  lived  for  centuries  in  the  same  rooms,  where 
they  were  born  and  where  they  died,  such  as  the  pictures 
in  the  house  and  in  the  church  show  them  to  have  been 
— from  knights  in  clanking  mail  to  the  cavaliers  of  the 
Thirty  Years'  War,  with  their  long  hair  and  pointed  beards ; 
then  the  wearers  of  gigantic  periwigs  who  strutted  about 
with  talons  rouges  on  these  boards,  and  the  queue-wearing 
trooper  who  fell  in  Frederick  the  Great's  battles,  down 
to  the  degenerate  offspring  who  now  lies  at  the  feet  of  a 
black-haired  girl. 

Les  extremes  se  touchent,  mais  Us  se  brisent,  is  one  of  those 
French  sayings  whose  apparent  literal  truth  hides  the  in- 
ner falsit}7,  and  which  are  invented  by  people  who  want  to 
put  the  responsibilit}7  for  their  own  baseness  upon  a  neces- 
sar\7  law  of  nature.  The  premise  is  true — they  do  touch 
each  other — but  they  belong  together,  too,  like  ink  upon 
white  paper,  'like  the  hard  seal  upon  the  soft  wax.  Simi- 
lar characters  repel  or  bore  each  other,  for  with  them  sharp 
corner  hits  upon  sharp  corner,  and  hollow  upon  hollow, 
without  being  able  to  close  together  and  penetrate  each 
other;  whereas,  in  the  case  of  dissimilar  characters,  each 
is  complementary  to  the  other,  stimulates,  and  strikes 
chords  hitherto  silent.  Two  hard  stones  do  not  grind  to- 
gether, nor  do  two  soft  ones,  and,  in  the  case  of  people,  the 

76 


1847]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OE   BISMARCK 

one  must  be  soft  where  the  other  is  hard,  if  they  are  to  grind 
well  together. 

I  smiled  a  little  at  your  protestations  about  Albert's* 
innocence  and  harmlessness,  and  am  moved  by  this  to  re- 
peat that  I  am  not  jealous  of  men  merely  as  such,  even  if 
Bruno  should  spend  two  weeks  in  Reinfeld.  When  I  say 
men,  merely  as  such,  I  wish  to  imply  that  one  may  also 
have  men  as  female  friends. f  I  am  very  grateful  for  the 
letters  and  the  remembrance  of  your  and  my  dear  parents. 
Please  give  them  my  cordial  salutations,  and  say  I  shall 
reply  in  a  few  days.  I  am  almost  afraid  you  are  going 
to  lose  your  Thursday's  letter  this  time,  for,  day  after  to- 
morrow, Sunday,  I  shall  be  in  the  royal  military  service ; 
from  Monday,  perhaps,  till  Tuesday  noon,  in  Magdeburg, 
without  a  moment's  leisure.  I  can  only  wish  that  this 
reach  you  on  Sunday,  as  it  should ;  but  as  it  starts  on 
Friday,  I  fear  its  bad  luck  will  keep  it  on  the  way  till  Tues- 
day. A  cordial  good-bye,  ma  reine,  and  be  patient  with 
your  faithful  slave,  who,  until  the  20th,  serves  two  mas- 
ters. Your  B. 


SCHONHAUSEN,  March   7,  '47. 

DEAREST, — I  really  have  not  time  to  write  you,  as  I  ex- 
plained in  my  last  letter.  Until  four  o'clock  I  was  standing 
with  sword  at  my  side,  in  the  Wust  churchyard,  in  order 
to  prevent  what  is  called  a  Controllversammhing  [mass- 
meeting],  over  almost  four  hundred  men  of  the  first  re- 
serve; then  I  came  here  just  to  mount  Mousquetaire  and 
ride  four  miles  at  a  breakneck  pace,  as  a  ship  has  gone 
down  beyond  Arneburg,  and  in  the  efforts  to  save  the  crew 

*  V.  Below-Reddentin,  nephew  of  Herr  v.  Puttkamer-Reinfcld. 
t  Explained  in  letter  of  March  16,  1847. 

77 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK       [Mar. 

a  quarrel  with  the  natives  ensued  on  account  of  injuries 
to  the  dike.  Now  I  am  indeed  rather  lame  in  the  hip,  and 
broken  down,  but,  as  you  may  infer  from  the  foregoing, 
very  well — which  I  assure  you  hereby,  as  also  that  I  have 
read  the  last  word  of  your  letter,  foi  de  gentilhomme,  at  the 
risk  that  this  letter  will  smell  as  strongly  of  horse  as  the 
previous  one  did  of  musk.  The  musk  came,  by  the  way, 
from  Mecklenburg,  and,  with  some  knowledge  of  aromat- 
ics,  you  would  have  made  the  discovery  that  it  was  the 
odor  of  no  medicinal  musk,  but  of  patchoidi,  the  most  hor- 
rid of  all  parfums,  that  all  the  letters  of  my  friend  Dewitz 
are  scented  with,  and  I  presumably  tore  a  sheet  from  one 
of  these  to  use  as  an  enveloppe  for  my  letter.  He  who  re- 
ceives musk  into  his  house — he  who  is  so  far  gone — he 
writes  no  more.  Now  I  must  once  more  protest  in  the  most 
solemn  manner  against  the  idea  that  you,  my  darling, 
have  pained  me  in  any  way.  If  anything  of  that  sort  was 
contained  in  my  previous  letter,  always  remember  that 
I  chat  with  you  just  as  I  happen  to  feel,  and  it  may  very 
well  be  that  a  cloud  lay  on  my  inner  self  that  day  which 
not  even  the  thought  of  you  could  quite  dispel — whether 
it  was  business  trouble,  or  that  mysterious  distress  which 
often,  sans  rime  et  sans  raison,  arises  in  us,  and  which 
some  lovely  poem,  perhaps  by  Lenau,  represents  as  un- 
conscious remorse  for  sins  committed  in  a  previous  exis- 
tence. 

Writing  is  a  sad  makeshift,  and  the  cold,  black  ink- 
marks  are  exposed  to  so  many  misunderstandings  and 
misinterpretations,  giving  occasion  to  useless  anxiety  and 
sorrow,  especially  to  my  dear  Johanna,  who  examines  the 
lines  with  such  scrutinizing  care,  to  see  whether  she  may 
not  find  in  them  something  to  feed  her  appetite  for  distress. 
Do  you  not  fancy  all  possible  disasters — that  I  am  sick,  have 

78 


1847]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK 

been  offended  by  this  thing  or  that,  have  scolded  you  in 
dead  earnest,  etc.  ?  If  you  could  only  see  how  contentedly 
I  smile,  or,  at  least,  how  contented  I  appear,  while  I  am 
writing  to  you,  chatting  with  you  without  thought  of 
harm;  and  if  I  make  a  campaign  against  your  fondness 
for  grieving,  'tis  only  a  sham  battle,  with  blank  cartridges, 
not  designed  to  kill  or  wound.  That  being  premised,  I  tell 
you  that  the  poem  "Oh,  do  not  look  so  bright  and  bless'd" 
is  a  right  pretty  poem,  but  in  my  estimation,  like  nearly  all 
poetry,  is  not  adapted  to  be  applied  to  one's  own  life  and 
to  screen  one's  own  little  perversities.  It  is  a  weak-hearted 
poem,  with  which  I  contrast  the  verse  of  the  trooper's  song, 
"  Unless  you  will  take  your  life  in  your  hand,  you  can  never 
win  the  prize  of  life  itself  " — put  your  life  at  stake,  if  you 
would  know  what  it  means  to  live — which  I  elucidate  as 
follows  in  my  own  fashion :  With  dutiful  trust  in  God,  dig 
in  the  spurs,  and  let  life,  like  a  wild  horse,  take  you  flying 
over  hedge  and  ditch,  resolved  to  break  your  neck,  and  get 
fearless,  inasmuch  as  you  must  some  time  part  from  all 
that  is  dear  to  you  on  earth — though  not  forever.  If  Grief 
is  near,  well,  let  him  come  on,  but  until  he  arrives  do  not 
merely  "look  bright  and  bless'd,"  but  be  it,  too;  and  when 
sorrow  comes  upon  you,  bear  it  with  dignity — that  is  to 
say,  with  submission  and  hope.  Until  that  time,  how- 
ever, I  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  Mr.  Grief — nothing 
more  than  is  implied  in  submission  to  God's  will.  If  "  fair- 
est things  soonest  fleet  and  die,"  then  that  is  a  reason  the 
more  for  not  spoiling  the  time  while  they  are  yours  by  self- 
torment  about  the  possibility  of  their  loss :  be  thankful  for 
them,  rather,  and  appreciative.  Moreover,  it  is  not  even  a 
true  saying,  and  the  reason  why  "fair  things"  appear 
to  us  so  transitory  is  found  in  our  own  insatiableness, 
which,  instead  of  thanking  God  for  the  blessing  we  have 

79 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK       [Mar. 

enjoyed,  thinks  only  of  lamenting  the  fact  that  we  have  it 
no  longer,  whereas  others  never  had  it  at  all.  Precisely 
similar  to  this  is  the  experience  of  young  gentlemen  who 
destroy  so-called  friendships  by  lending  and  borrowing 
money.  The  receiver,  so  soon  as  he  has  used  up  the 
loan,  invariably  ceases  to  be  grateful  for  the  complaisance, 
though  it  be  marked,  of  the  other  who  lent  him  the  money ; 
on  the  contrary,  he  is  only  embittered  when  the  latter  asks 
to  be  repaid,  and  generally  becomes  an  enemy  of  the  lender. 
When  I  was  a  student,  how  angry  I  used  to  get  over  tailors 
and  bootmakers !  When  they  wanted  their  bills  paid,  I  con- 
sidered it  the  most  irritating  presumption,  instead  of  being 
grateful  for  the  credit  they  had  extended. 

Moreover,  the  "  rose  of  the  gardens  "  is  happier  than  that 
"of  the  desert,"  for  even  to  be  but  "a  moment  cherished" 
is  better  than  to  "  live  and  die  in  vestal  silence."  "  A  mo- 
ment cherished  and  then  cast  away."  I  have  often  loved 
(if  love  it  may  be  called)  in  that  fashion,  and  others  have 
restored  them  to  favor  once  more,  as  was  to  be  expected. 
"Worshipped  while  blooming — when  she  fades  forgot"? 
There  are  qualities  that  never  fade ;  so  I  shall  worship  you 
as  long  as  I  live,  because  you  will  never  give  up  blooming. 
Et  quand  nieme  I 

When  did  I  reproach  you  with  having  an  icy  heart?  I 
must  have  been  in  a  terribly  mendacious  mood  then.  It 
is  not  true  in  the  least :  I  love  the  temperature  of  your  heart, 
and  yet  I  shiver  so  easily  in  any  place  that  is  not  warm. 
How  can  your  mother  think  that  I  misunderstood  the  note, 
or  even  took  offence  at  it?  It  is  really  high  time  for  me  to 
see  you ;  otherwise  you  will  represent  me  as  a  complete 
tyrannical  monster  in  the  pictures  your  fancy  creates. 

You  hurt  my  feelings  somewhat  in  being  so  much  sur- 
prised when  people  like  Lepsius  and  others  respect  and 

80 


1847]      THE  LOVE   LETTERS    OE   BISMARCK 

love  you,  etc.,  for  you  thus  indirectly  express  the  opinion 
that  you  esteem  me  a  man  devoid  of  taste,  since  I  entertain 
for  you  much  stronger  feelings  of — respect  is  too  weak  a 
word  for  me ;  worship  untrue  and  sacrilegious.  You  must, 
on  the  contrary,  look  with  contempt  upon  every  one  who 
does  not  know  enough  to  appreciate  your  merit;  and  to 
every  one  who  has  not  yet  proposed  to  you,  or  would  not  at 
least  like  to,  you  must  say,  "  Sir,  the  fact  is  that  Herr  von 
B.  loves  me,  and  this  proves  that  every  male  person  who 
does  not  adore  me  is  a  blockhead  without  discernment." 
Why  should  not  Lepsius  worship  you?  'Tis  his  duty  and 
obligation.  Don't  be  so  insultingly  modest,  as  though  I, 
after  wandering  around  among  the  rose-gardens  of  North 
Germany  for  ten  years,  had  finally  grabbed  at  a  buttercup 
with  both  hands. 

Gather,  then,  from  this  very  instructive  letter,  I,  that  I 
am  tired ;  2,  that  I  am  in  good  health,  very ;  3 ,  that  last 
Friday  morning  you  did  not  write  me  silly  stuff,  but  an 
amiable  letter;  4,  that  I  did  not  misapply  to  myself  tiny- 
thing  you  said,  and  most  heartily  believe  that  you  do  care  for 
me;  5,  that  if  we  were  together  now,  I  should  fall  at  your 
feet,  seize  both  your  hands,  and  cry,  "  Jeannetke,  ich  Hebe 
dir!"  6,  ch'  io  ti  voglio  ben'assai;  7,  that  I  love  you;  8, 
que  je  t'adore,  mon  ange;  9,  to-morrow  morning  1  go  to 
Magdeburg,  with  Wartenslebcn  of  Carow,  hold  a  long  con- 
ference with  Gerlach,  dine  there,  buy  little  trees  under 
whose  shade  you  shall  some  time  wander — ditto  cigars  and 
other  things.  A  fortnight  hence,  on  Saturday  (Rupertus), 
I  flee  away  to  a  remote  distance,  and  the  following  Tues- 
day, on  Everard's  (!!)  day,  I  repose  on  your  heart.  For- 
give this  unworthy  scrawl,  give  my  cordial  greetings  to 
your  parents,  and  caress  Finette  for  me,  to  keep  your  moth- 
er's heart  favorably  disposed.  Good-night,  beloved! 
F  81 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK       [Mar. 

How  frightfully  indistinct  the  writing  is  in  this  letter! 
I  can  scarcely  read  it  myself ;  forgive  me,  but  I  had  to  go  to 
sleep  quickly  to-night,  and  was  in  such  a  hurry. 


SCHONHAUSEN,   March  II,   1847. 

CZARNA  KOTKO,  MILA  DUSZO !— If  the  meaning  of  the 
foregoing  incantation  should  not  be  clear  to  you,  in  spite  of 
the  proximity  of  the  heathen  Kassuben,  then  look  upon  it 
for  the  present  as  a  rebus  which  I  shall  explain  orally,  and 
now  only  add  the  remark  that  I  make  a  practice  of  busying 
myself  with  the  reading  of  grammars  after  dinner,  as  an 
aid  to  digestion,  and  to-day  took  up  a  Polish  one.  Ex- 
cuse this  variegated  ink,  too;  but  I  can't  get  any  other 
at  the  moment,  for  Bellin,  who  has  charge  of  everything, 
is  not  at  home.  Your  letter  with  the  little  house  on  it,  and 
the  still  smaller  people  staring  at  the  bare  autumnal  tree, 
did  not  frighten  me  at  all,  as  I,  true  to  my  often  expounded 
principles,  never  let  myself  take  fright  prematurely  through 
apprehensions  that  I  make  myself.  I  merely  concluded 
from  the  Stolp  postmark  that  you  had  suddenly  gone  to 
Reddentin,  and  wished  to  inform  me  of  that  in  the  improb- 
able event  of  my  earlier  departure.  My  sensations  were 
untroubled  and  glad  when  I  caught  sight  of  your  little  rose 
seal,  and  aired  themselves  in  an  exclamation  which  my 
Polish  grammarian  would  translate  perhaps  by  pilna 
panna,  "a  diligent  young  lady."  Your  letter-bag  was 
not  empty  last  Thursdaj7, 1  trust,  though  I  absent-mindedly 
took  with  me  to  Magdeburg  the  hurried  letter  that  I  wrote 
Sunday  evening  when  very  tired,  instead  of  posting  it  in 
Genthin,  and  so  it  did  not  start  on  its  travels  till  Tuesday 
morning.  As  an  offset,  it  was  in  my  pocket  when  I  visited 
Gerlach,  and  can  tell  you  how  I  surrendered  myself  to  sad 


1847]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

but  not  comfortless  memories  of  last  summer,  both  there 
and  in  the  garden  by  the  railway,  where  we  took  supper. 
In  a  business  conference  lasting  several  hours  I  had  oc- 
casion once  more  to  admire  Gerlach,  who  was  not  merely 
witty  as  ever,  but  also  the  practical  jurist,  with  rare  knowl- 
edge of  the  law  and  general  affairs.  My  stay  continued, 
contrary  to  my  intention,  till  day  before  yesterday,  Tues- 
day, as  our  session  was  protracted  until  the  train  had  left, 
so  that  I  did  not  find  your  love-token  until  twenty-four 
hours  after  its  arrival  here.  Be  on  your  guard  against 
Kautschlow  *  and  Reddis :  I  have  great  respect  for  scarlet 
and  nervous  fevers,  and  am  only  glad  that  you  are  not 
afraid  of  them,  since  fear  makes  one  more  susceptible  to 
contagion.  Take  every  precaution,  but  sans  peur  et  sans 
reproche :  at  least,  always  be  the  former,  and  we  will  both 
strive  for  the  latter.  Fear  does  not  help  matters,  makes 
one  confused  and  helpless  on  the  approach  of  danger,  and 
is  a  lack  of  trust  in  God's  providence.  Very  wisely  spoken, 
and  yet  I  do  not  believe  that  I  was  never  afraid.  .  .  . 
Farewell,  my  angel ;  may  the  others  guard  you. 

Your  faithful  B. 

You  will  not  be  able  to  ride  Luna ;  ride  you  must,  though, 
even  if  it  is  to  be  on  me.  In  280  hours  I  shall  be  with  you ; 
mats  I'homme  propose,  Dieu  dispose. 

SCHONHAUSEN,  March  14,  1847. 

JEANNE  LA  MECHANTEl— What  is  the  meaning  of  this? 
A  whole  week  has  passed  since  I  heard  a  syllable  from  you, 
and  to-day  I  seized  the  confused  mass  of  letters  with 
genuine  impatience — seven  official  communications,  a  bill, 

♦  That  is,  Alt-Kolziglow. 
8.3 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK       [Mar. 

two  invitations,  one  of  which  is  for  a  theatre  and  ball  at 
Greifenberg,  but  not  a  trace  of  Zuckers  [the  Reinfeld  post- 
office]  and  "Hochwohlgeboren."  *  I  could  not  believe  my 
eyes,  and  had  to  look  through  the  letters  twice;  then  I 
set  my  hat  quite  on  my  right  ear  and  took  a  two  hours' 
walk  on  the  highway  in  the  rain,  without  a  cigar,  assailed 
by  the  most  conflicting  sentiments — "a  prey  to  violent 
emotions,"  as  we  are  accustomed  to  say  in  romances.  I 
have  got  used  to  receiving  my  two  letters  from  you  regu- 
larly every  week,  and  when  once  we  have  acquired  the  habit 
of  a  thing,  we  look  upon  that  as  our  well-won  right,  an  in- 
jury to  which  enrages  us.  If  I  only  knew  against  whom 
I  should  direct  my  wrath — against  Boge,  against  the  post- 
office,  or  against  you,  la  chatte  la  plus  noire,  inside  and  out. 
And  why  don't  you  write?  Are  you  so  exhausted  with 
the  effort  you  made  in  sending  two  letters  at  a  time  on 
Friday  of  last  week?  Ten  days  have  gone  by  since  then 
— time  enough  to  rest  yourself.  Or  do  you  want  to  let  me 
writhe,  while  you  feast  your  eyes  on  my  anxiety,  tigress ! 
after  speaking  to  me  in  your  last  letters  about  scarlet  and 
nervous  fevers,  and  after  I  had  laid  such  stress  on  my 
maxim  of  never  believing  in  anything  bad  before  it  forces 
itself  upon  me  as  incontestable?  We  adhere  firmly  to  our 
maxims  only  so  long  as  they  are  not  put  to  the  test ;  when 
that  happens  we  throw  them  away,  as  the  peasant  did  his 
slippers,  and  run  off  on  the  legs  that  nature  gave  us.  If 
you  have  the  disposition  to  try  the  virtue  of  my  maxims, 
then  I  shall  never  again  give  utterance  to  any  of  them, 
lest  I  be  caught  lying ;  for  the  fact  is  that  I  do  really  feel 
somewhat  anxious.  With  fevers  in  Reddis,  to  let  ten  days 
pass  without  writing  is  very  horrible  of  you,  if  you  are  well. 

*  "Right  honorable,"  a  common  form  of  address  on  letters.     B.  re- 
fers more  than  once  to  her  distinctive  way  of  writing  this  title. 

84 


1847]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

Or  can  it  be  that  you  did  not  receive  on  Thursday,  as  usual, 
my  letter  that  I  mailed  on  Tuesday  in  Magdeburg,  and,  in 
your  indignation  at  this,  resolved  not  to  write  to  me  for  an- 
other week  ?  If  that  is  the  state  of  affairs,  I  can't  yet  make 
up  my  mind  whether  to  scold  or  laugh  at  you.  The  worst 
of  it  now  is  that,  unless  some  lucky  chance  brings  a  letter 
from  you  directly  to  Stolp,  I  shall  not  have  any  before 
Thursday,  for,  as  I  remember  it,  there  is  no  mail  leaving 
you  Saturday  and  Sunday,  and  I  should  have  received 
Friday's  to-day.  If  you  have  not  sworn  off  writing  al- 
together and  wish  to  reply  to  this  letter,  address  me  at 
Naugard.  .  .  . 

Had  another  visitor,  and  he  stayed  to  supper  and  well 
into  the  night — my  neighbor,  the  town-counsellor  Gartner. 
People  think  they  must  call  on  each  other  Sunday  evening, 
and  can  have  nothing  else  to  do.  Now  that  all  is  quiet  in 
the  night,  I  am  really  quite  disturbed  about  you  and  your 
silence,  and  my  imagination,  or,  if  not  that,  then  the  being 
whom  you  do  not  like  to  have  me  name,  shows  me  with 
scornful  zeal  pictures  of  everything  that  could  happen. 
Johanna,  if  you  were  to  fall  sick  now,  it  would  be  terrible 
beyond  description.  At  the  thought  of  it,  I  fully  realize 
how  deeply  I  love  you,  and  how  deeply  the  bond  that  unites 
us  has  grown  into  me.  I  understand  what  you  call  loving 
much.  When  I  think  of  the  possibility  of  separation — 
and  possible  it  is  still — I  should  never  have  been  so  lonely 
in  all  my  dreary,  lonely  life. 

What  would  Moritz's  situation  be,  compared  with  that? 
— for  he  has  a  child,  a  father,  a  sister,  dear  and  intimate 
friends  in  the  neighborhood.  I  have  no  one  within  forty 
miles  with  whom  I  should  be  tempted  to  talk  more  than 
just  that  which  politeness  demands;  only  a  sister — but 
a  happily  married  one  with  children  is  really  one  no  longer, 

85 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK      [Mar. 

at  least  for  a  brother  who  is  single.  For  the  first  time  I 
am  looking  the  possibility  straight  in  the  eyes  that  you 
might  be  taken  away  from  me,  that  I  might  be  condemned 
to  inhabit  these  empty  rooms  without  a  prospect  of  your 
sharing  them  with  me,  with  not  a  soul  in  all  the  surround- 
ing region  who  would  not  be  as  indifferent  to  me  as  though 
I  had  never  seen  him.  I  should,  indeed,  not  be  so  devoid 
of  comfort  in  myself  as  of  old,  but  I  should  also  have  lost 
something  that  I  used  not  to  know — a  loving  and  beloved 
heart,  and  at  the  same  time  be  separated  from  all  that 
which  used  to  make  life  easy  in  Pomerania  through  habit 
and  friendship.  A  very  egotistical  line  of  thought  and 
way  of  looking  at  things  this  discloses,  you  will  say. 
Certainly,  but  Pain  and  Fear  are  egotists,  and,  in  cases 
like  that  referred  to,  I  never  think  the  deceased,  but  only 
the  survivors,  are  to  be  pitied.  But  who  speaks  of  dying? 
All  this  because  you  have  not  written  for  a  week;  and 
then  I  have  the  assurance  to  lecture  you  for  gloomy  fore- 
bodings, etc. !  If  you  had  only  not  spoken  of  the  deadly 
fevers  in  your  last  letter.  In  the  evening  I  am  always  ex- 
cited, in  the  loneliness,  when  I  am  not  tired.  To-morrow, 
in  bright  daylight,  in  the  railway  carriage,  I  shall  perhaps 
grasp  your  possible  situation  with  greater  confidence. 

Be  rejoicing  in  hope,  patient  in  tribulation,  continuing 
instant  in  prayer.  All  the  angels  will  guard  you,  my 
beloved  heart,  so  that  we  shall  soon  meet  again  with  joy. 
Farewell,  and  salute  your  parents.  I  wrote  your  father 
this  morning.  Your  faithful  BISMARCK. 


Berlin,  March  16,  '47. 
CHERE  ET  BONNE, — Strange  to  say,  I  have  just  received 
at  this  place  your  dear  letter  of  Thursday,  after  it  had  gone 

86 


1847]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

astray  through  a  blunder  of  the  Genthin  post-office.  Be- 
hold me  now  thoroughly  ashamed  of  all  my  excitement 
of  day  before  yesterday,  with  the  greatest  desire  to  thrash 
the  whole  postal  service  if  I  had  it  before  me  in  person; 
with  a  brilliant  justification,  too,  of  my  dear  Johanna  and 
of  my  principles  touching  useless  anxiety — if  these  were 
only  more  firm.  I  write  yo"  only  a  couple  of  lines  on  the 
jump,  so  that  you  may  know  what  has  become  of  your  letter 
and  to  comply  with  your  pressing  request  for  an  immedi- 
ate explanation  of  my  surprising  expression  concerning 
"  men  as  women  friends. ' '  There  are  two  kinds  of  jealousy, 
which  are  really  quite  different  sensations.  The  basis  of 
one  is  mistrust  in  regard  to  the  honor  and  constancy  of  the 
other  party ;  that  of  the  other  is  a  certain  sense  of  being 
for  the  moment  or  constantly  put  in  the  background  by 
the  preoccupation  of  the  other  party  with  some  women 
friends,  flowers,  birds,  books,  dogs,  etc.  I  do  not  know 
precisely  what  words  I  wrote,  but  presumably  I  intended 
to  say  no  more  than  that  I  am  liable  to  the  second  kind  of 
jealousy,  which  I  should  prefer  to  call  a  morbid  sensitive- 
ness, but  not  to  the  first,  which  seems  to  me  to  be  irrecon- 
cilable with  true  love.  That  I  had  really  already  had 
occasion  to  feel  the  second  kind  with  you,  I  presume  I  did 
not  say,  or,  at  any  rate,  did  not  mean  to  say.  .  .  . 

Your  faithful  B. 


KNIEPHOF,  Wednesday  Evening,  April  28,  '47. 
This  morning,  my  belovedst  beloved,  I  arrived  at  this 
place,  after  spending  the  night  with  three  officers  who  knew 
me,  without  my  knowing  them,  and  with  a  pretty  young 
lady,  who,  in  reply  to  my  polite  offer  to  exchange  my  very 
comfortable  corner  for  her  seat  in  the  middle  of  the  coupe, 

87 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK       [Apr. 

said,  in  an  irritated  tone,  "I  cannot  ride  backward,  and, 
besides,  this  place  was  assigned  to  me" — whereupon  I 
respectfully  held  my  peace.  In  Coslin  there  was  rioting 
— even  after  twelve,  the  streets  so  beset  with  crowds  that 
we  got  through  them  with  difficulty  and  only  under  the 
protection  of  a  part  of  the  national  guard,  that  had  been 
called  out.  Bakers  and  butchers  looted,  three  grain- 
dealers'  houses  ruined,  window-smashing,  and  so  forth. 
I  should  have  liked  to  stay  there.  The  uncultivated 
meadows  and  the  gooseberries  are  a  soft  green  here ;  bird- 
cherry-trees  and  elders,  too,  have  leaves  the  size  of  a  ducat, 
and  the  ground  under  the  trees  and  bushes  of  the  Dornberg 
(park)  was  thickly  covered  with  blue,  white,  and  yellow 
flowers,  parading  in  all  the  colors  of  my  coat-of-arms,  as 
though  for  a  parting  salutation.  On  the  whole  region, 
with  its  grass-green  waters  and  oaks  without  foliage,  there 
lay  the  mood  of  tenderness  and  sadness,  as  I,  after  much 
vexatious  business,  paid  11137  parting  call  about  sunset  on 
the  places  which  were  dear  to  me  and  where  I  had  often 
passed  dreamy  and  despondent  hours.  On  the  spot  where 
I  had  thought  of  building  a  new  house  lay  the  skeleton  of  a 
horse :  by  the  very  build  of  the  bones  I  recognized  the  re- 
mains of  my  faithful  Caleb,  who  for  seven  years  bore  me, 
glad  or  sad,  wild  or  lazy,  many  a  mile  on  his  back.  I 
thought  of  the  heaths  and  fields,  the  lakes  and  the  houses 
— and  the  people  in  them — that  we  two  flew  by :  my  life 
unrolled  itself  before  me  back  to  the  days  when  as  a  child 
I  plaj^ed  on  this  spot ;  the  rain  trickled  gently  through  the 
bushes,  and  I  stared  for  a  long  time  at  the  dull  sunset, 
filled  to  overflowing  with  sadness  and  regret  for  the  lazy 
indifference  and  blind  lust  of  pleasure  in  which  I  squan- 
dered all  the  rich  endowment  of  my  youth,  my  spirit,  my 
property,  my  health,  without  purpose  and  without  profit, 


1847]      THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

until  I  looked  to  you,  my  heart,  to  receive  into  the  haven 
of  your  unprofaned  heart  the  wreck  whose  rich  cargo  I 
had  wantonly  and  lavishly  thrown  overboard  by  the  hand- 
ful. I  went  home  much  depressed ;  every  tree  that  I  had 
planted,  every  oak  below  whose  rustling  top  I  had  lain 
in  the  grass,  seemed  to  reproach  me  for  surrendering  them 
to  the  hands  of  strangers,  and  all  of  my  workmen  did  this 
more  plainly — whom  I  found  gathered  before  my  door,  to 
complain  to  me  about  the  present  hard  times  and  their 
anxiety  for  the  future  under  the  lessee.  "Much  will  he 
care  if  we  are  sick  and  miserable!"  and  with  that  they 
represented  to  me  how  long  they  had  served  my  father,  and 
the  old  gray-heads  shed  bright  tears,  and  I  was  not  far 
from  doing  so.  I  did  not  know  anything  to  say,  cither, 
by  way  of  excuse  for  myself,  for  had  I  taken  care  of  my 
property,  instead  of  letting  strangers  manage  it  for  me, 
and  had  I  been  as  careful  as  I  was  wasteful,  then  it  would 
not  have  become  a  financial  necessity  to  lease  it  now — or 
probably  at  any  time.  It  makes  me  decidedly  uneasy  in 
my  conscience  to  surrender  to  the  covetousness  of  a  lessee 
these  people  whose  defence  God  intrusted  to  me.  .  .  .  Cordial 
remembrances  to  our  mother.  God  bless  you.  Our  love  is 
the  bright  star  that  shines  through  the  dreary  darkness  of  my 
soul !  *  B. 

Berlin,  May  2,  '47. 
On  our  marriage,  I  have  just  had  a  thorough  talk  with 
your  father,  and  found  him  disposed  to  celebrate  it  at  the 
appointed  time,  entirely  without  display,  as  a  mere  wed- 
ding ceremony;  also  have  notified  my  relatives  that  it 
cannot  be  otherwise  on  account  of  your  mother's  condition. 
Many  remembrances  to  her. 

*  English  in  the  original. 
89 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK     [May, 
SCHONHAUSEN,  May  5,  1847. 

BEST  LOVED, — At  sunset  I  came  from  an  inspection 
of  the  dikes,  wet  to  the  skin;  found  your  letter  and  your 
mother's,  and  was  quite  put  to  shame  by  your  love,  with 
which  I  am  covered  as  your  letter  is  with  yellow  sealing- 
wax. 

My  cordial  thanks  for  your  very  warm,  dear  letter.  .  .  . 

Your  adventure  with  Brunette  makes  me  anxious,  and  I 
beg  of  you  earnestly  not  to  ride  her  again  until  I  come 
back.  It  is  possible  that  Groth  has  made  her  fretful; 
still  more  probable  that  she  finds  riding  about  the  place 
tiresome,  and  will  go  more  quietly  outside.  In  any  case, 
it  seems  the  best  thing  to  do  to  send  her  to  Stolp  until  my 
return,  both  to  make  her  gentle  and  to  give  her  as  much 
exercise  as  her  health  requires.  I  shall  avoid  telling  your 
father  about  this  danger,  and  say  to  him  merely  that  she 
must  have  exercise,  and  can  get  it  nowhere  else  but  in  Stolp. 
I  am  not  in  a  mood  for  writing  a  great  deal,  not  so  much 
for  the  reason  that  I  have  only  six  hours  before  my  depart- 
ure as  because  my  gall  is  stirred  up  and  takes  away  my 
thoughts.  I  received  a  piece  of  news  as  I  was  writing, 
with  the  details  of  which  I  shall  not  trouble  you  beyond 
observing  that  a  rather  important  pecuniary  loss  grows 
out  of 's  rank  faithlessness.  In  spite  of  this  confes- 
sion of  my  wrathful  emotions,  I  must  scold  you  for  yours 
in  reference  to  Brunette.  Allow  yourself  to  be  propitiated 
by  the  consideration  that  she  did  not  "mean  it  badly." 
She  had  positively  no  vicious  intention  to  vex  or  harm  you 
personally,  but  obeyed  impulses  of  her  excited  blood  and 
of  her  impatience.  Look  upon  her  as  an  instrument  that 
you  do  not  play  in  the  right  way,  or  that  is  out  of  tune 
owing  to  the  weather. 

When  you  "  long  "  for  me  too  much,  and  discontent  with 

90 


1847]      THE    LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

the  short  interruption  of  our  companionship  overcomes 
you,  do  not  think  then  of  what  could  be  better  and  pleas- 
anter  for  the  moment,  but  of  misfortune  and  pain  which 
might  be  present,  but  are  not ;  think  that  I  might  be  dead, 
instead  of  absent,  or  might  lie  sick  for  months,  or — or,  etc. — 
in  short,  think  of  everything  we  both  have  to  thank  God 
for,  if  it  is  only  because  a  friend  was  given  to  you  who  is 
so  wise  in  admonition  for  you  and  so  unwise  in  thought 
and  action  for  himself.  In  your  actions,  follow  my  words, 
not  my  works.  Learn  to  take  grateful  pleasure,  too,  in 
the  joy  you  have  had,  and  do  not  cry,  as  little  children  do, 
"More!"  the  moment  it  stops.  I  found  my  sister  well, 
though  still  much  enfeebled  and  languid  in  her  way  of 
holding  herself  and  walking.  She  is  very  eager  for  you, 
and  her  heart  goes  out  towards  you.  Your  letter  has  no 
inharmonious  sound  whatever :  it  is  so  charmingly  frank 
and  confiding  that  I  have  a  feeling  about  it  as  though  you 
were  saying  all  that  to  me  in  the  sofa-corner.  This  reply 
is  equally  confused  and  hurried,  but  I  am  making  haste  to 
go  to  sleep,  as  in  this  respect  I  have  not  had  my  rightful 
allowance  the  last  four  nights;  otherwise  I  shall  sleep 
too  late  to-morrow.  Your  faithful  B. 


Berlin,  May  8,  1847. 

Dearest,  only  beloved  Juanita,  Better  Half 

OF  MYSELF,  —  I  should  like  to  begin  my  letter  with 
every  possible  form  of  address  through  which  I  may  win 
your  favor,  for  I  am  in  sore  need  of  your  forgiveness.  I 
will  not  leave  you  to  guess  the  reason  why,  lest  you  should 
imagine  something  worse  than  that  I  have  been  chosen  to 
the  Landtag  and  have  accepted  it.  Although  I  hope  I 
shall  be  able  to  go  with  your  father  to  see  you  at  Whitsun- 

91 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OE   BISMARCK      [May, 

tide,  this  makes,  nevertheless,  an  essential  change  in  all 
our  plans  for  our  next  meeting.  Let  me  tell  you,  in  my 
own  defence,  how  this  came  to  pass. 

One  of  our  deputies,  Brauchitsch,  is  so  ill  that  he  can  no 
longer  attend  the  meetings.  I  have  the  first  right  to  suc- 
ceed to  his  seat,  but  might  have  declined  it,  when  the  next 
substitute  would  have  been  called  upon.  But  the  Magde- 
burg estates,  when  the  first  place  among  the  six  substi- 
tutes became  vacant,  instead  of  adopting  the  usual  prac- 
tice and  letting  the  second,  and  so  on,  each  move  up  one 
grade,  and  filling  the  sixth  position  by  a  new  election,  by 
way  of  exception  immediately  selected  me  as  the  first  of 
the  six,  although  I  am  quite  new  in  the  province,  and  had 
never  been  a  substitute  at  all.  They  were  moved  to  do  this 
parti}7  for  the  reason  that  they  had  a  quite  unusual  degree 
of  confidence  in  me,  partly  because  the  second,  who  would 
have  advanced  to  the  first  position,  was  held  to  be  incom- 
petent, lie  would  now  become  deputy  if  I  declined.  More- 
over, the  estates  tried  by  every  available  means  to  put  me 
into  the  Landtag  instead  of  the  first  president.  Brau- 
chitsch himself,  also,  who  was  already  on  the  road  to  recov- 
ery, resigned  with  special  regard  to  my  becoming  his  sub- 
stitute, and  the  other  deputies  likewise  urged  him  to  do  so 
for  the  same  reason,  and  expressly  desired  my  election,  f 
write  you  all  this  to  make  it  clear  to  you  that  I  could  not 
decline  the  call  without  positively  offending  the  Magde- 
burg estates  and  destroying  every  prospect  I  have  which 
is  based  upon  my  relations  with  the  estates.  So  I  ask  you 
again  to  forgive  me  for  accepting  the  thing,  and  in  so  doing 
cancelling  the  plans  for  our  reunion  next  week.  Think 
how  entirely  possible  it  was  for  my  election  to  have  taken 
place  on  the  nth  of  April,  and  how  many  happy  and  cher- 
ished hours  of  companionship  we  should  have  lost  in  that 

92 


1847]      THE   LOVE    LETTERS    OF   BISMARClv 

case — hours  that  are  precious  in  memory,  too.  Be  my 
strong  Johanna,  and  thank  God  for  all  that  has  come  to 
us,  without  complaint  and  sorrow  about  that  which  you 
might  like  to  have  different.  We  shall  often  be  obliged 
to  learn  to  set  the  cup  down  when  it  tastes  the  best ;  to  re- 
joice in  what  we  have  drunk,  and  courageously  to  renounce 
what  we  must  leave  in  it.  .  .  .  Your  faithful  B. 


SCHONHAUSEN,  May  10,  1847. 

TRES  CHERE  JEANNETON,— It  sounds  rather  hypokrite 
when  I  speak  of  my  pain  at  thought  of  our  prolonged 
separation,  as  I  had  it  in  my  power,  strictly  speaking,  to 
let  the  Landtag  go  hang.  But  you  yourself  know  best 
what  to  think  of  it,  and  I  feel  that  with  you  I  do  not  need 
excuses.  Last  night  I  had  a  disquieting  dream  about 
you  and  three  horses :  I  hope  you  are  still  Jeanne  la  sage, 
so  far  as  riding  goes.  Your  faithful  B. 


BERLIN,  Friday,  May  15,  '47. 
DEAR  HEART, — Your  father  gave  me  your  letter  this 
morning  at  the  session,  and  in  consequence  I  hardly  know 
what  subject  was  discussed,  or,  at  least,  lacked  energy  to 
form  a  clear,  conscious  conception  of  it.  My  thoughts 
were  in  Reinfeld  and  my  heart  full  to  overflowing  of  care. 
I  am  submissive  in  all  that  may  happen,  but  I  cannot  say 
that  I  should  be  submissive  with  gladness.  The  chords 
of  my  soul  become  relaxed  and  toneless  when  I  think  of  all 
possibilities.  I  am  not,  indeed,  of  that  self-afflicting  sort 
that  carefully  and  artfully  destroys  its  own  hope  and  con- 
structs fear,  and  I  do  not  believe  that  it  is  God's  will  to  sep- 
arate us  now — for  every  reason  I  cannot  believe  it;  but 

93 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [May, 

I  know  that  you  are  suffering,  and  I  am  not  with  you,  and 
yet,  if  I  were  there,  I  could  perhaps  contribute  something 
to  your  tranquillity,  to  your  serenity,  were  it  only  that  I 
should  ride  with  you — for  you  have  no  one  else  for  that. 
It  is  so  contrary  to  all  my  views  of  gallantry,  not  to  speak 
of  my  sentiments  for  you,  that  any  power  whatever  should 
keep  me  here  when  I  know  that  you  are  suffering  and  I 
could  help  and  relieve  you ;  and  I  am  still  at  war  with  my- 
self to  determine  what  my  duty  is  before  God  and  man. 
If  I  am  not  sooner  there,  then  it  is  fairly  certain  that  I  shall 
arrive  in  Reinfeld  with  your  father  at  Whitsuntide,  prob- 
ably a  week  from  to-morrow.  The  cause  of  your  illness 
may  lie  deeper,  or  perhaps  it  is  only  that  the  odious  Span- 
ish flies  have  affected  you  too  powerfully.  Who  is  this 
second  doctor  }tou  have  called  in?  The  frequent  changing 
of  doctors,  and,  on  one's  own  authority,  using  between- 
times  all  sorts  of  household  remedies,  or  remedies  pre- 
scribed for  others,  I  consider  very  bad  and  wrong.  Choose 
one  of  the  local  doctors  in  whom  37ou  have  the  most  con- 
fidence, but  keep  to  him,  too;  do  what  he  prescribes  and 
nothing  else,  nothing  arbitrary  ;  and,  if  you  have  not  con- 
fidence in  any  of  the  local  men,  we  will  both  try  to  carry 
through  the  plan  of  bringing  you  here,  so  that  you  may 
have  thorough  treatment  under  the  direction  of  Breiers, 
or  some  one  else.  The  conduct  of  your  parents  in  regard 
to  medical  assistance,  the  obstinate  refusal  of  your  father, 
and,  allied  to  that,  your  mother's  arbitrary  changing  and 
fixed  prejudices,  in  matters  which  neither  of  them  under- 
stand, seem  to  me,  between  ourselves,  indefensible.  He 
to  whom  God  has  intrusted  a  child,  and  an  only  child  at 
that,  must  employ  for  her  preservation  all  the  means  that 
God  has  made  available,  and  not  become  careless  of  them 
through  fatalism  or  self-sufficiency.     If  writing  tires  you, 

94 


1847]      THE   LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK 

ask  your  mother  to  send  us  news.  Moreover,  it  would 
seem  to  me  very  desirable  if  one  of  your  friends  could  be 
prevailed  upon  to  go  to  you  until  you  are  better.  Whether 
a  doctor  can  help  you  or  not — forgive  me,  but  you  cannot 
judge  of  that  by  your  feelings.  God's  help  is  certainly 
decisive,  but  it  is  just  He  who  has  given  us  medicine  and 
physician  that,  through  them,  His  aid  may  reach  us ;  and 
to  decline  it  in  this  form  is  to  tempt  Him,  as  though  the 
sailor  at  sea  should  deprive  himself  of  a  helmsman,  with 
the  idea  that  God  alone  can  and  will  give  aid.  If  He  does 
not  help  us  through  the  means  He  has  placed  within  our 
reach,  then  there  is  nothing  left  to  do  but  to  bow  in  silence 
under  His  hand.  If  you  should  be  able  to  come  to  Zimmer- 
hausen  after  Whitsuntide,  please  write  to  that  effect  be- 
forehand if  possible.  If  your  illness  should  become  more 
serious,  I  shall  certainly  leave  the  Landtag,  and  even  if 
you  are  confined  to  your  bed,  I  shall  be  with  you.  At  such 
a  moment  I  shall  not  let  myself  be  restrained  by  such  ques- 
tions of  etiquette — that  is  my  fixed  resolve.  You  may  be 
sure  of  this,  that  I  have  long  been  helping  you  pray  that 
the  Lord  may  free  you  from  useless  despondency  and  bestow 
upon  you  a  heart  cheerful  and  submissive  to  God — and  upon 
me,  also ;  and  I  have  the  firm  confidence  that  He  will  grant 
our  requests  and  guide  us  both  in  the  paths  that  lead  to  I  Iim. 
Even  though  yours  may  often  go  to  the  left  around  the 
mountain,  and  mine  to  the  right,  yet  they  will  meet  beyond. 
The  salt  water  has  already  gone  from  here.  If  you  are 
too  weak  for  riding,  then  take  a  drive  every  day.  When 
you  are  writing  to  me,  and  begin  to  feel  badly  in  the  least, 
stop  immediately ;  give  me  only  a  short  bulletin  of  your 
health,  even  if  it  is  but  three  lines,  for,  thank  Heaven, 
words  can  be  dispensed  with  between  us — they  cannot  add 
or  take  away  anything,  since  our  hearts  look  into  each 

95 


THE  LOVE   LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK     [May, 

other,  eye  to  eye,  to  the  very  bottom,  and  though  here  and 
there,  behind  a  fold,  some  new  thing  is  discovered,  a  strange 
thing  it  is  not.  Dear  heart,  what  stuff  you  talk  (excuse 
my  rudeness)  when  you  say  I  must  not  come  if  I  would 
rather  stop  in  Zimmerhausen  or  Angermunde  at  Whitsun- 
tide! How  can  I  take  pleasure  anywhere  while  I  know 
that  you  are  suffering,  and,  moreover,  am  uncertain  in 
wrhat  degree?  With  us  two  it  is  a  question,  not  of  amusing 
and  entertaining,  but  only  of  loving  and  being  together, 
spiritually,  and,  if  possible,  corporeally ;  and  if  you  shoidd 
lie  speechless  for  four  weeks — sleep,  or  something  else — 
I  would  be  nowhere  else,  provided  nothing  but  my  wish 
were  to  decide.  If  I  could  only  "come  to  your  door,"  I 
would  still  rather  be  there  than  with  my  dear  sister;  and 
the  sadder  and  sicker  you  are,  so  much  the  more.  But  the 
door  will  not  separate  me  from  you,  however  ill  you  may 
be.  That  is  a  situation  in  which  the  slave  mutinies  against 
his  mistress.  .  .  .  Your  faithful  B. 


BERLIN,  Tuesday  Morning,  May  18,  '47. 
DEAREST, — The  last  letters  from  Reinfeld  permit  me  to 
hope  that  your  illness  is  not  so  threatening  at  the  moment 
as  I  feared  from  the  first  news,  although  I  am  continually 
beset  by  all  possible  fears  about  you,  and  thus  am  in  a  con- 
dition of  rather  complicated  restlessness.  .  .  .  My  letter  in 
which  I  told  you  of  my  election  you  have  understood  some- 
what, and  your  dear  mother  altogether,  from  a  point  of 
view  differing  from  that  which  was  intended.  I  only 
wanted  to  make  my  position  exactly  clear  to  you,  and  the 
apologies  which  to  you  seemed  perhaps  forced,  as  I 
infer  from  your  mother's  letter,  you  may  regard  as  an  en- 
tirely natural  outflow  of  politeness.     That  I  did  not  stand 

96 


1847]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK 

in  need  of  justification  with  you,  I  very  well  know;  but 
also  that  it  must  affect  us  both  painfully  to  see  our  fine 
plans  cancelled.  It  was  my  ardent  wish  to  be  a  member  of 
the  Landtag;  but  that  the  Landtag  and  you  are  fifty 
miles  apart  distressed  me  in  spite  of  the  fulfilment  of  my 
wish.  You  women  are,  and  always  will  be,  unaccounta- 
ble, and  it  is  better  to  deal  with  you  by  word  of  mouth  than 
by  writing.  ...  I  have  ventured  once  or  twice  on  the  speak- 
er's platform  with  a  few  words,  and  yesterday  raised  an 
unheard-of  storm  of  displeasure,  in  that,  by  a  remark  which 
was  not  explained  clearly  enough  touching  the  character 
of  the  popular  uprising  of  1813,  I  wounded  the  mistaken 
vanity  of  many  of  my  own  party,  and  naturally  had  all 
the  halloo  of  the  opposition  against  me.  The  resentment 
was  great,  perhaps  for  the  very  reason  that  I  told  the  truth 
in  applying  to  1813  the  sentence  that  any  one  (the  Prussian 
people)  who  has  been  thrashed  by  another  (the  French) 
until  he  defends  himself  can  make  no  claim  of  service 
towards  a  third  person  (our  King)  for  so  doing.  I  was  re- 
proached with  my  youth  and  all  sorts  of  other  things. 
Now  I  must  go  over  before  to-day's  session  to  see  whether, 
in  printing  my  words,  they  have  not  turned  them  into 
nonsense.  .  .  .  Yours  forever,  B. 


BERLIN,  Friday,  May  21,  '47. 
TRES  CHERE  JEANNETON, — When  you  receive  this 
letter  you  will  know  that  I  am  not  to  visit  you  in  the  holi- 
days. I  shall  not  offer  "apologies,"  but  reasons  why  it  is 
not  to  be.  I  should  miss  certainly  four,  and  probably  five, 
meetings  of  the  estates,  and,  according  to  the  announce- 
ment we  have  received,  the  most  important  proceedings 
are  to  be  expected  at  the  coming  meetings.  There  it  may 
G  97 


THE  LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK      [May, 

depend  upon  one  vote,  and  it  would  be  a  bad  thing  if  that 
were  the  vote  of  an  absentee ;  moreover,  I  have  succeeded  in 
acquiring  some  influence  with  a  great  number,  or,  at  least, 
with  some  delegates  of  the  so-called  court  party  and  the 
other  ultra-conservatives  from  several  provinces,  which  I 
employ  in  restraining  them  so  far  as  possible  from  bolting 
and  awkward  shying,  which  I  can  do  in  the  most  unsus- 
pected fashion  when  once  I  have  plainly  expressed  my 
inclination.  Then,  too,  I  have  some  money  affairs  to  ar- 
range, for  which  I  must  make  use  of  one  of  the  holidays. 
The  Landtag  will  either  be  brought  to  a  close  on  the  7th  of 
June — and  in  that  case  I  should  stay  here  until  that  date — 
or  it  will  continue  in  session  until  all  the  matters  have  been 
arranged,  in  which  event  I  should  stay  till  after  the  de- 
cision of  the  important  political  questions  which  are  now 
imminent,  and  shall  be  less  conscientious  about  all  the 
insignificant  petitions  that  follow  after,  and  await  their  dis- 
cussion in  Reinfeld.  It  will,  besides,  be  pleasanter  for  you 
and  the  mother  not  to  have  us  both — the  father  and  me — 
there  at  one  time,  but  relieving  each  other,  so  that  }rou 
may  be  lonely  for  a  shorter  time.  .  .  .  Your  father  will  tell 
you  how  I  stirred  up  the  hornet's-nest  of  the  volunteers  here 
lately,  and  the  angry  hornets  came  buzzing  to  attack  me  ; 
on  the  other  hand,  I  had  as  compensation  that  many  of  the 
older  and  more  intelligent  people  drew  near  to  me — people 
I  did  not  know  at  all — and  assured  me  that  I  had  said 
nothing  but  the  truth,  and  that  was  the  very  thing  that  had 
so  incensed  the  people.  But  I  must  take  the  field  now ;  it 
is  ten  o'clock.  Please  ask  your  father  to  write  immediately 
about  your  health.  I  should  so  much  like  to  hear  the 
opinion  of  another  person  besides  your  mother.  I  am  all 
right — only  much  excited.  Farewell,  and  God  guard  you. 
Yours  altogether  and  forever,  B. 
98 


1847]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

ANGERMUNDE,  2d  Holiday,  Morning,  May  24,  '47. 
DEAR  JOHANNA, — The  result  has  shown  once  more 
that  you  are  always  right :  instead  of  consoling  my  invalid 
fiancee,  as  her  righteous  father  is  doing,  I  am  amusing 
myself  here  with  my  sister.  But  there's  a  hospital  here, 
too.  Frau  von  Derenthal  has  been  attacked  by  fever  here ; 
Frau  von  Arnim  (without  the  dangerous  widow)  is  here, 
and  so  is  he,  Derenthal.  The  house  resounds  like  the 
Reinfeld  one,  and  we  have  to  walk  on  tiptoe,  and  are  ter- 
rified if  a  door  is  slammed.  To-morrow  morning,  at  eleven, 
the  session  begins  again  at  Berlin,  and  probably  the  im- 
portant matter  of  the  government's  financial  report  will 
come  up  at  it — a  field  fertile  of  strife.  I  shall  soon  be  in  the 
same  state  of  excitement  as  Thadden,  who  starts  up  rest- 
lessly at  night  from  dreams  that  transport  him  to  the  Land- 
tag, and  by  day  forgets  his  dinner  because  of  it.  One  be- 
comes all  the  more  impatient  because  one  almost  never 
gets  a  chance  to  express  his  opinion  after  listening  six 
hours  long  to  all  sorts  of  shameless  things;  and  if  one 
does  finally  get  a  chance,  it  is  when  twenty  other  speakers 
have  already  spoken  after  the  matter  one  wishes  to  answer, 
and  it  is  forgotten.  It  fares  with  the  tribune  as  with  a 
beauty  en  vogue  at  a  ball,  who  is  always  engaged  for  every- 
thing beforehand.  .  .  .  Your  faithful  B. 


Berlin,  May  26,  '47. 
DEAREST, — .  .  .  If  I  were  only  through  with  the  Land- 
tag and  the  delivery  of  Kniephof,  could  embrace  you  in 
health,  and  retire  with  you  to  a  hunting-lodge  in  the  heart 
of  green  forest  and  the  mountains,  where  I  should  see  no 
human  face  but  yours!  That  is  m}7  hourly  dream;  the 
rattling  wheel-work  of  political  life  is  more  obnoxious  to 

99 


THE   LOVE    LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK     [May, 

mj7  ears  every  day.  Whether  it  is  your  absence,  sickness, 
or  my  laziness,  I  want  to  be  alone  with  you  in  contem- 
plative enthusiasm  for  nature.  It  may  be  the  spirit  of  con- 
tradiction, which  always  makes  me  long  for  what  I  have 
not.  And  yet,  I  have  you,  you  know,  though  not  quite 
at  hand;  and  still  I  long  for  you.  I  proposed  to  your 
father  that  I  should  go  with  him ;  we  would  immediately 
have  our  banns  published  and  be  married,  and  both  come 
here.  An  apartment  for  married  people  is  empty  in  this 
house,  and  here  you  could  have  had  sensible  physicians 
and  every  mortal  help.  It  seemed  to  him  too  unbecoming. 
To  you,  too?  It  seems  to  me  still  the  most  sensible  thing 
of  all,  if  you  are  only  strong  enough  for  the  trip.  If  the 
Landtag  should  continue  longer  than  to  the  6th  of  June — 
which  I  still  hope  it  will  not — let  us  look  at  the  plan  more 
carefully.  .  .  .  Your  faithful  B. 


SCHONHAUSEN,  Friday,  May  28,  '47. 

MY  POOR  SICK  KITTEN,—.  .  .  In  regard  to  your  illness, 
your  father's  letter  has  calmed  my  anxiety  somewhat  as 
to  the  danger,  but  yours  was  so  gloomy  and  depressed  that 
it  affected  me  decidedly.  My  dear  heart,  such  sadness  as 
finds  expression  there  is  almost  more  than  submission  to 
God's  will :  the  latter  cannot,  in  my  opinion,  be  the  cause 
of  your  giving  up  the  hope,  I  might  say  the  wish,  that  you 
may  be  better,  physically,  and  experience  God's  blessing 
here  on  earth  as  long  as  may  be  in  accordance  with  His 
dispensation.  You  do  not  really  mean  it,  either — do  you, 
now? — when,  in  a  fit  of  melancholy,  you  say  that  nothing 
whatever  interests  you  genuinely,  and  you  neither  grieve 
nor  rejoice.  That  smacks  of  Byron,  rather  than  of  Chris- 
tianity.   You  have  been  sick  so  often  in  your  life,  and  have 

100 


>^*** :', 


I'RINCKSS    HISMAKCK 


1847]       THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF    BISMARCK 

recovered — have  experienced  glad  and  sad  hours  after- 
wards; and  the  old  God  still  lives  who  helped  you  then. 
Your  letter  stirred  in  me  more  actively  than  ever  the  long- 
ing to  be  at  your  side,  to  fondle  you  and  talk  with  you.   .  .  . 

I  do  not  agree  with  you  in  your  opinion  about  July,  and 
I  would  urge  you  strongly,  too,  on  this  point  to  side  with 
me  against  your  parents.  When  a  wife,  you  are  as  likely 
to  be  sick  as  when  a  fiancee — and  will  be  often  enough, 
later;  so  why  not  at  the  beginning,  likewise?  I  shall  be 
with  you  as  often  as  I  am  free  from  pressing  engagements, 
so  whether  we  are  together  here  or  in  Reinfeld  makes  no 
difference  in  the  matter.  We  do  not  mean  to  marry  for 
the  bright  days  only  :  your  ill-health  seems  to  me  an  utterly 
frivolous  impediment.  The  provisional  situation  we  are 
now  in  is  the  worst  possible  for  me.  I  scarcely  know  any 
longer  whether  I  am  living  in  Schonhausen,  in  Reinfeld, 
in  Berlin,  or  on  the  train.  If  you  fall  sick,  I  shall  be  a 
sluggard  in  Reinfeld  all  the  autumn,  or  however  long  our 
marriage  would  be  postponed,  and  cannot  even  associate 
with  you  quite  unconstrainedly  before  the  ceremony.  This 
matter  of  a  betrothed  couple  seventy  miles  apart  is  not  de- 
fensible; and,  especially  when  I  know  you  are  ailing,  I 
shall  take  the  journey  to  see  you,  of  course,  as  often  as  my 
public  and  private  affairs  permit.  It  seems  to  me  quite 
necessary  to  have  the  ceremony  at  the  time  already  ap- 
pointed; otherwise  I  should  be  much  distressed,  and  I  see 
no  reason  for  it.  Don't  sell  Brunette  just  now ;  you  will 
ride  her  again  soon.  I  must  be  in  Berlin  at  noon  for  a 
consultation  about  plans  for  to-morrow.  Farewell.  God 
strengthen  you  for  joy  and  hope. 

Your  most  faithful  B. 

To-morrow  I'll  send  you  a  hat* 

*  English  in  the  original. 
101 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS  OF  BISMARCK   [May, 

BERLIN,  Sunday,  May  30,  '47. 
TRES  CHERE  JEANNETON,— Your  letter  of  day  before 
yesterday,  which  I  have  just  received,  has  given  me  pro- 
found pleasure  and  poured  into  me  a  refreshing  and  more 
joyous  essence :  your  happier  love  of  life  is  shared  by  me 
immediately.  I  shall  begin  by  reassuring  you  about  your 
gloomy  forebodings  of  Thursday  evening.  At  the  very 
time  when  you  were  afflicted  by  them  I  was  rejoicing  in  the 
happiness  I  had  long  missed,  of  living  once  more  in  a  com- 
fortable Schonhaus  bed,  after  I  had  suffered  for  weeks  from 
the  furnished -apartments  couch  in  Berlin.  I  slept  very 
soundly,  although  with  bad  dreams — nightmares — which  I 
ascribed  to  a  late  and  heavy  dinner,  inasmuch  as  the  peace- 
ful occupations  of  the  previous  day — consisting  in  viewing 
many  promising  crops  and  well-fed  sheep,  together  with 
catching  up  with  all  sorts  of  police  arrangements  relating 
to  dike,  fire,  and  roads — could  not  have  occasioned  them. 
You  see  how  little  you  can  depend  upon  the  maternal  in- 
heritance of  forebodings.  Also  in  regard  to  the  injurious 
effects  of  the  Landtag  excitement  upon  my  health,  I  can 
completely  reassure  you.  I  have  discovered  what  I  needed 
— physical  exercise — to  offset  mental  excitement  and  ir- 
regular diet.  Yesterday  I  spent  in  Potsdam,  to  be  present 
at  the  water  carnival — a  lively  picture.  The  great  blue 
basins  of  the  Havel,  with  the  splendid  surroundings  of 
castles,  bridges,  churches,  enlivened  with  several  hundred 
gayly  decorated  boats,  whose  occupants,  elegantly  dressed 
gentlemen  and  ladies,  bombard  one  another  lavishly  with 
bouquets  when  they  can  reach  each  other  in  passing  or  draw- 
ing up  alongside.  The  royal  pair,  the  whole  court,  Pots- 
dam's fashionable  people,  and  half  of  Berlin  whirled  in  the 
skein  of  boats  merrily,  pell-mell ;  royalists  and  liberals 
all  threw  dry  or  wet  flowers  at  the  neighbor  within  reach. 

J02 


1847]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

Three  steamboats  at  anchor,  with  musical  choruses,  con- 
stituted the  centre  of  the  ever-changing  groups.  I  had  the 
opportunity  to  salute,  hurriedly  and  with  surprise,  and 
throw  flowers  at,  many  acquaintances  whom  I  had  not  seen 
for  a  long  time.  My  friend  Schaffgotsch  is  passionately 
fond  of  walking,  and  he  was  responsible  for  our  returning 
to  the  railway  station  on  foot — a  distance  of  almost  three 
miles — at  such  a  pace  as  I  had  not  kept  up  in  a  long  while. 
After  that  I  slept  splendidly  until  nine,  and  am  in  a  state  of 
physical  equilibrium  to-day  such  as  I  have  not  enjoyed 
for  some  time.  As  the  rather  dusty  promenades  in  the 
Thiergarten  do  not  give  me  enough  of  a  shaking-up  in  the 
time  that  I  have  available  for  that  purpose,  Mousquetaire 
will  arrive  here  to-morrow,  so  that  he,  with  his  lively  gallop, 
may  play  the  counterpart  to  the  tune  that  politics  is  dancing 
in  my  head.  My  plan  about  Berlin  and  the  wedding  imme- 
diately, etc.,  was  certainly  somewhat  adventurous  when 
you  look  at  it  in  cold  blood,  but  I  hope  there  will  be  no 
change  from  July.  If  I  am  to  be  tormented,  as  you  saj7, 
with  an  "unendurable,  dispirited,  nervous  being,"  it  is  all 
the  same  in  the  end  whether  this  torment  will  be  imposed 
upon  me  by  my  fiancee  or — forgive  the  expression — by  my 
wife.  In  either  case  I  shall  try  to  bear  the  misfortune  with 
philosophical  steadfastness;  for  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  it 
will  not  be  so  bad  that  I  must  dig  deeper  and  seek 
Christian  consolation  for  it.       Your  very  faithful         B. 


June  8,  '47. 

DEAR  HEART, — Your  last  letter,  which  I  received  on 

Sunday  evening  when  corning  from  Angermunde,   was 

very  sad  once  more,  very  sick — like  sick  songs.     I  wanted 

to  answer  immediately,  but  there  was  no  one  still  awake  to 

103 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK     [June, 

whom  I  could  deliver  the  letter  so  as  to  send  it  to  the  post- 
office  Monday  morning.  Yesterday  I  made  the  acquaint- 
ance of  Laura,*  who  has  beautiful  eyes,  and  also  saw 
Petronio,  who  won  my  friendship  entirely  by  giving  me 
the  most  comforting  assurances  in  regard  to  the  probable 
course  of  your  illness.  He  thought  that  it  was  very  de- 
sirable for  you  to  have  company,  agreeable  company, 
near  you.  Should  I  not  then  come  to  you  immediately? 
I  hope  you  have  Hedwig  now.  I  was  delighted  to  hear 
Carl  Woedtke  speak  French  quite  fluently.  Where  in  the 
world  did  he  learn  it?  This  all  occurred  at  a  concert  at 
Gungl's,  the  same  place  in  which  we  ate  ice  and  music 
that  time  after  the  Harz,  and  which  I  made  the  terminus  of 
my  usual  evening  ride.  I  have  come  to  know  Carl  more 
intimately,  and  am  quite  edified  by  him — almost  too  in- 
telligent for  his  years.  .  .  .  God  bless  you,  my  heart,  and 
give  you  rest  and  fresh  love  of  life :  I  beseech  Him  daily 
for  that.  My  compliments  to  the  mother.  I  must  to  the 
fray.  Your  faithful  B. 

Berlin,  Tuesday. 

BERLIN,  Sunday,  June  13,  '47. 
MY  DEAR  HEART,— I  have  been  in  Kniephof;  half 
the  way  to  you  I  had  behind  me,  and  yet  I  could  not  make 
the  other  half:  it  was  hard  enough  for  me  to  get  away 
from  here  for  two  days,  and,  owing  to  the  irresponsible 
irregularity  of  the  lessee,  who  came  a  day  later  than  we 
had  agreed,  as  well  as  to  financial  arrangements  at  the 
Stettin  bank,  it  took  three  days.  The  transactions 
in  Kniephof  were  made  disagreeable,  in  part  provoking, 
by  the  circumstance  that  my  lessee,  who  is  himself  the 

*  Frau  Lasius,  nee  v.  Puttkamer. 
IO4 


1847]       THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK 

most  harmless,  good-natured  person  in  the  world,  had 
brought  with  him  an  assistant  whom  all  the  country-side 
knows  as  the  most  disagreeable,  malicious,  litigious  fellow, 
and  who  was  embittered  because  he  had  offered  me  his 
assistance  in  this  matter  and  I  had  refused  him.  Towards 
evening,  after  everybody,  even  the  judge,  had  ordered  their 
carriages,  and  when  all  our  amicable  agreement,  brought 
about  with  difficulty,  threatened  to  fall  to  pieces,  I  hit  upon 
the  lucky  expedient  of  being  so  coarse  to  the  assistant, 
without  quite  giving  him  cause  of  action,  that  he  left  the 
room  forthwith  and  drove  away.  Thereupon  I  came  to 
terms  with  the  lessee  in  five  minutes,  and  the  signatures 
were  exchanged  after  sunset.  Taking  leave  of  the  place 
was  very  melancholy  for  me,  when  I  thought  how  the 
rooms  in  which  I  had  played  as  a  child  will  be  occupied  by 
strangers,  how  all  my  plantations  and  pleasure-grounds 
will  run  riot  and  be  overgrown,  the  white  bridges  and 
benches  fall  in  pieces.  It  is  the  first  time  since  Kniephof 
has  been  in  the  possession  of  our  family  that  strangers  live 
there,  that  it  has  been  leased.  But  let  by-gones  be  by-gones  ; 
let  us  look  to  the  future.  Although  the  report  that  37our 
father  has  from  you  about  your  condition  sounds  less  re- 
assuring than  Costetti's,  still  I  share  your  mother's  hope 
that  the  dear  God  will  soon  make  you  stronger  in  body  and 
spirit.  As  soon  as  I  but  hold  you  again  in  these  arms  I 
will  be  your  physician,  and  you  shall  get  well,  though  you 
do  it  but  for  love  of  me.  On  the  19th  the  Landtag  will  be 
closed :  the  King  has  directed  it,  and  we  ourselves  have 
moved  for  adjournment  on  the  19th.  Then  I  go  for  a  day 
or  two  to  Schonhausen,  from  there  to  Kniephof  to  clear  up 
the  final  reckoning  with  the  lessee ;  so  that  I  believe  I  can 
be  in  Reinfeld  a  day  or  two  after  St.  John's.  Four  weeks 
later  Sauer  is  to  give  us  his  blessing  under  the  wooden 

105 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK     [June, 

roof  of  the  Kolziglower  church;  then  we  shall  set  out, 
stopping,  if  you  like,  in  Naugard  and  Angermiinde  as  long 
as  agreeable;  the  same  in  Berlin  and  Schonhausen,  and 
thence  go  to  Vienna,  Salzburg,  and  the  Tyrol,  unless 
you  prefer  another  route.  For  the  narrow-minded  idea 
of  taking  no  journey  this  year,  I  have  utterly  dismissed 
from  my  mind.  So  far  as  expenses  are  concerned,  it 
would  cost  exactly  as  much  next  year  as  this,  and  it  makes 
practically  not  the  least  difference,  if  we  have  decided  to 
travel,  anyway,  whether  it  takes  place  this  year  or  later. 
But  it  is  quite  possible  that  next  year  you  will  not  be  quite 
so  much  in  the  humor  and  in  a  condition  for  travelling  as 
you  are  in  this,  if  I  have  the  time  and  disposition  for  it,  if 
we  are  both  alive  still,  and  if — who  knows  what  else?  So, 
then,  the  upshot  of  it  all  is  that  we  are  to  be  married  on  the 
24th,  whether  you  are  sick  or  well,  and  that,  if  the  former 
is  not  the  case  to  a  greater  degree  than  at  present,  we  shall 
view  the  Alps  from  near  by.     Qu'en  dis-tu  ?  B. 


BERLIN,  Friday,  June  18,  '47. 
MON  AMIE, — (That  sounds  rather  a  little  cold,  but  there 
is  a  member  sitting  next  to  me  that  looks  over  my  arm,  and 
reads  what  I  write  :*  ca  me  gene !)  I  am  writing  to  you, 
not  with  blood,  but  with  the  red  ink  we  use  to  correct  the 
wantonnesses  of  stenographers  out  of  our  speeches,  and  am 
just  hearing  Herr  von  Auerswald  speak  with  great  ardor 
in  favor  of  the  proposition  that  marriages  between  Jews 
and  Christians  shall  be  permitted.  I  did  not  get  your  last 
letter  till  Tuesday  evening.  It  really  gave  me  pleasure, 
although  from  beginning  to  end  it  contained  a  litany  of 

*  English  in  the  original. 
I06 


1847]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

discontent;  but  there  spoke  a  certain  wholesome  resent- 
ment in  all  these  complaints,  which  reassures  me  as  to  your 
condition  much  more  than  the  soft,  faded,  broken  melan- 
choly that  found  expression  in  a  previous  letter.  It  sound- 
ed nearly  like  your  peevish  "Na-a!"  that  always  amuses 
me  so.  Only  do  not  suspect  me  also,  as  you  do  poor  Cos- 
tetti,  of  regarding  you  as  not  really  ill,  but  only  malade 
imaginaire ;  moreover,  that  was  not  at  all  Petronio's  opin- 
ion— he  only  said  that  your  mental  and  physical  conditions 
were  interdependent,  each  affecting  the  other  unfavorably. 
Petronio  did  not  make  the  impression  on  me  that  you  had 
led  me  to  expect  by  your  descriptions.  He  is  very  polite 
and  well-bred,  save  that  his  appearance  lacks  the  note  of  the 
gentleman,  which  the  Frenchman  expresses  by  distingue, 
the  German  by  vomehm — an  expression  that  is  not  quite 
exact.  .  .  . 

It  is  quite  pleasant  writing  here :  I  am  sitting  in  a  portico 
of  the  white  hall,  the  hum  of  the  assembly  behind  me,  and 
before  me  the  view  of  the  pleasure-garden,  museum,  ar- 
senal, etc.  At  the  moment  a  great  tumult,  ringing  of  the 
marshal's  bell,  calling  of  the  roll  upon  the  Jewish-marriage 
matter.  That  does  not  interest  me ;  I  must  go  to  the  wool- 
market.  The  prices  have  grown  worse  than  they  were 
in  Breslau  and  Stettin,  but  we  shall  travel,  nevertheless. 
Farewell.  Your  very  faithful  B. 


June  22,  '47. 
DEAREST, — Again  a  very  short,  blustering  letter,  just 
to  let  you  know  that  I  am  thinking  of  you  and  still  love 
\x>u  a  little  bit.  .  .  .  Day  before  yesterday  we  were  at  our 
friend  the  King's,  and  I  was  quite  spoiled  by  the  noble 
company,  and  am  now  so  proud  that  I  shall  always  look 

107 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK     [July, 

over  your  head,  and  only  in  rare  moments  of  condescension 
abase  my  e37es  to  your  black-gray-blue  ones.  With  me 
and  your  father,  for  the  rest,  it  is  well.  The  bracelet  has 
been  mended.     Farewell,  Jeanne  la  noire,  la  chatte  I 

B. 


Magdeburg,  July  i,  1847. 

MY  DEAR  HEART,  —  Must  I  prostrate  myself  before 
you,  too,  and  beg  forgiveness  for  not  having  written  for  a 
century  ?  I  do  not  know  when  the  last  time  was ;  the  time 
seems  to  me  so  tremendously  long  when  I  look  back  that  I 
shall  certainly  be  ten  years  older  when  37ou  see  me  again. 
No  velvet  coat,  no  Jean  Paid,  only  law,  politics,  party- 
passion,  fill  my  head,  and  the  whole  range  of  the  Alps, 
with  its  lakes,  will  not  entice  a  glance  from  me  if  the  Prus- 
sian general  assembly  is  anywhere  near.  It  looks  so 
dusty,  ink}7,  and  papery  in  my  head  that  I  can't  begin  to 
fathom  such  a  chaos.  Still,  that  is  in  my  head ;  now  my 
heart  shall  control  once  more,  and  you  in  it,  and  I  will 
have  no  gods  beside  you.  Forgive  the  blasphemy :  I  speak 
figuratively — must  I  tell  you  that,  you  Pomeranian?  .  .  . 

Now  I  have  breakfasted,  am  rather  sleep}7,  must  dine  at 
two  with  Gerlach  to  talk  over  newspaper  projects,  and  at 
six  take  a  train,  so  as  to  reach  Schonhausen  finally,  which 
I  have  not  seen  since  I  was  there  with  your  father.  There 
I  must  stay  till  to-morrow  or  day  after  to-morrow  evening, 
depending  on  the  matters  that  have  to  be  attended  to,  whose 
nature  I  do  not  yet  know,  so  that  I  shall  be  back  in  Berlin 
Saturday  evening  at  the  latest.  There,  too,  I  shall  be 
busy  with  matters  relating  to  founding  a  new  paper  until, 
on  Monda}7,  the  5th,  at  latest,  I  go  to  Angermunde ;  Tues- 
day, from  there  to  Kniephof ;  Wednesday,  the  7th,  beyond — 
so  that  I  request  your  father,  if  I  do  not  write  to  the  contrary, 

108 


1847]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

to  send  horses  to  Schlawe  for  me  the  morning  of  Thursday, 
the  8th.  It  may  be  a  day  later,  but  then  I  shall  write  be- 
forehand. Shall  I  then,  in  black  velvet,  with  a  waving 
ostrich-feather,  sing  under  your  window  on  a  lukewarm 
evening,  to  the  accompaniment  of  a  cithern,  "Oh,  fly,"  etc. 
(which,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  have,  as  I  think,  a  good  right  to 
sing  now,  with  special  feeling  in  the  words,  "  and  rest  upon 
my  " — etc.),  or  shall  I  appear  at  bright  noon  in  a  green  rid- 
ing-coat and  reddish-brown  gloves,  and  embrace  you  with- 
out singing  or  speaking?  Gerlach  has  a  plan  for  a  trip  to 
Bavaria  and  Switzerland  in  the  middle  of  August,  by  him- 
self, or,  if  possible,  with  Thadden,  Moritz,  and,  perhaps* 
others,  not  to  see  regions,  but  persons  (famous  people). 
What  a  splendid  thing  that  would  be  for  our  little  Marie! 
I  can  hardly  doubt  that  you  will  wish  to  join  them,  if  any- 
thing comes  of  the  design  on  the  scale  that  Gerlach  wishes, 
though  I  do  not  like  to  give  up  our  plan  about  Vienna  and 
the  Tyrol,  and  am  rather  tired  of  seeing  people  and  con- 
tending about  politics  and  religion.  We  may  perhaps 
agree  to  meet  in  Munich,  and,  if  our  funds  -suffice,  go  with 
them  to  Switzerland  and  down  the  Rhine.  But  if  we  have 
to  choose  between  the  two,  I  prefer  Salzburg  and  the  Tyrol 
to  Switzerland,  and  then  back  by  way  of  Munich  and 
Nuremberg.  Besides,  paying  visits  to  great  geniuses  is 
not  always  practicable  for  you,  being  a  woman,  and  even 
if  it  were,  you,  whose  interests  are  more  remote  from  the 
movements  of  the  day,  will  not  always  find,  in  looking  at 
and  listening  to  them,  adequate  compensation  for  tiresome 
journeys  and  towns.  On  the  other  hand,  the  travelling 
companionship  is  not  to  be  despised,  though  for  us  twain 
not  always  without  gene.  Nous  en  parlerons  plus  tard.  .  .  . 
God  guard  you. 

Your  own  B. 

109 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS  OF  BISMARCK  [July,  '47 

Berlin,  July  4,  '47. 
JUANININA, — Happily,  I  have  left  Schonhausen  behind 
me,  and  do  not  expect  to  enter  it  again  without  you,  mon 
ange.  Only  some  business  matters  detain  me  here,  which 
I  cannot  attend  to  to-day  because  it  is  Sunday ;  but  I  con- 
fidently anticipate  starting  for  Angermiinde  to-morrow  at 
four,  and  accordingly,  unless  the  very  improbable  event 
occurs  that  I  am  detained  outrageously  in  Kniephof, 
shall  arrive  in  Schlawe  on  Thursday.  .  .  .  Farewell,  my 
heart.  This  is  probably  the  last  post-marked  paper  that 
you  will  receive  from  your  Brautiganu'  (I  hate  the  expres- 
sion). Our  banns  were  cried  to-day  for  the  first  time  in 
Schonhausen.  Does  that  not  seem  strange  to  you? 
But  I  had  learned  your  given  names  so  badly  that  I  could 
mention  only  Johanna  Eleonore:  the  other  six  you  must 
teach  me  better.  Farewell,  my  heart.  Many  salutations 
to  the  parents. 

Your  very  faithful  B. 

*  FiancG. 


If 


LETTERS    WRITTEN    WHILE    IN    THE 

PRUSSIAN   PARLIAMENT   AND  THE 

FEDERAL    DIET,  AUG.,  1847-1858 


Salzburg  August  25  or  26,  '47 
DEAR  PARENTS, — As  Johanna  gave  you,  during  my 
slumber*  that  dates  back  to  the  Schafberg,  full  particu- 
lars of  our  experiences,  I  will  offer  you  merely  a  token  of 
life  and  remembrance  on  my  part;  otherwise  you  might 
believe  I  slept  all  the  time,  and  not  simply  when  Johanna 
is  writing.  I  am  very  glad,  though,  that  I  did  not  act  in 
accordance  with  the  affectionate  letter  of  mother  which 
warned  us  so  strongly  against  the  journey,  for,  besides 
the  pleasure  it  gives  me  to  see  these  things  myself,  and  to 
see  Johanna's  delight,  I  find  that  her  health  and  cheerful- 
ness grow  stronger  day  by  day,  as  well  from  the  pure 
mountain  air  as  especially  from  the  vigorous  physical 
exertion,  like  the  ascent  of  Schafberg,  from  which  all  my 
muscles  still  ache,  and  which  she  has  already  slept  off 
better  than  I  have.  In  order  to  reassure  you  somewhat,  my 
dear  mother,  as  to  the  expenses  of  the  journey,  I  will  tell 
you  exactly  to  what  they  will  mount  up.  We  have  now 
been  fifteen  days  on  the  way — to-day  being  the  16th — 
and  have  spent  170  rthlr.,  or  30  fr'd'or;  withal,  sometimes 
had  really  very  expensive  places — Vienna,  steamboat, 
Linz.  I  fancy  now  we  shall  stay  away  three  to  four  weeks 
more,  according  to  which  the  whole  thing  is  likely  to  cost 
not  much  over  400  rthlr.,  and  will  give  us  a  fund  of  pleasure 
for  life.  Johanna  has  just  looked  at  this  letter,  and  is  danc- 
ing with  amazement  at  my  calling  my  mother  "Thou." 

*  I  think  he  might  call  it  simply  "sleep." 
H  113 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK       [Apr. 

What  is  there  surprising  in  that?  She  calms  herself 
through  anticipation  of  her  beloved  plums,  pears,  peaches, 
on  which  her  stomach  tests  itself  successfully  as  really  ex- 
cellent every  day.  Grapes  we  have  had,  too,  in  abundance. 
If  the  weather  continues  to  be  as  dull  as  it  has  been  since 
yesterday,  we  shall  travel  without  stop  to  Milan  and  Genoa, 
and  see  if  it  is  better  there,  for  in  the  mountains  one  does 
not  see  anj^thing  whatever  at  present.  Now  we  want  to 
ascend  the  Capuzinerberg.  Please  address  letters  to  Meran 
in  the  T3rrol,  where  we  shall  leave  directions  for  forward- 
ing.    Good-bye,  dear  parents.     Your  loj^al  son, 

Bismarck. 

I  am  well  and  cheerful;  live  with  Werdeck,  18  Leipziger 
Platz.  Berlin  is  very  quiet.  Silesia,  on  the  other  hand, 
near  complete  break-up.  Yesterday  we  had  in  the  evening 
a  preliminary  conference  of  the  whole  Landtag.  This 
body  is  in  such  terror,  not  of  the  Berliners,  but  of  the  whole 
European  situation,  that  it  unanimously  wishes  to  avoid 
everything — even  the  merest  trifle — that  might  oppose 
the  present  ministry,  wishing  to  sustain  and  reinforce  it 
by  every  possible  means.  An  address  was  debated  yes- 
terday, from  which  we  with  difficulty  excluded  the  praise 
of  the  barricade  fighters,  but  as  an  offset  dropped  out  our 
demonstration  in  behalf  of  the  troops  also.  Good-bye  and 
salutations.  Your  very  faithful  B. 

Berlin,  April  2,  '48. 

My  DEAR, — I  believe  I  can  now  reassure  you  most 
completely  as  to  the  safety  of  the  members  of  the  Landtag. 
The  Landtag  was  opened  to-day,  minus  King  and  minus 
cheers,  with  quite  calm  discussion.  In  a  few  words  I 
uttered  my  protest  against  the  thanks  and  exultation  that 

114 


1848J       THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

were  voted  to  the  King,  without  hostilities  becoming  overt. 
Ten  thousand  men  of  the  city  militia  were  posted  for  our 
protection,  but  not  even  a  slight  disturbance  occurred 
at  the  palace.  I  could  be  with  you  to-morrow,  as  there 
is  no  session,  if  I  had  ordered  a  carriage  to  meet  me  at 
Genthin  this  evening.  But  as  the  whole  affair  apparently 
will  come  to  an  end  this  week,  perhaps  as  early  as  Thurs- 
day, I  was  too  stingy  to  hire  a  carriage.  Brauchitsch  was 
taken  violently  ill  again  last  evening.  .  .  .  Give  cordial 
remembrances  to  your  mother,  and  be  of  good  courage.  I 
am  much  calmer  than  I  was :  with  Vincke  one  heart  and 
one  soul.  Your  faithful  B. 

April  2,  '48,  Sunday  Evening. 

I  fear,  my  dear  heart,  the  letter  I  wrote  you  last  evening 
reached  the  post-office  so  late,  through  an  oversight,  that 
you  will  not  receive  it  to-day,  and  not  before  to-morrow 
with  this;  and  it  pains  me  to  think  that  you  were  disap- 
pointed in  your  hope  when  the  mail  was  delivered,  and 
now  (9  o'clock  in  the  evening)  are  perhaps  troubled  with 
disquietude  of  all  sorts  about  me.  I  have  spent  a  tiresome 
day,  tramping  the  pavement,  smoking  and  intriguing. 
Do  not  judge  of  the  few  words  I  spoke  yesterday  from  the 
report  in  the  Berlin  Times.  I  shall  manage  to  bring  you 
a  copy  of  the  speech,  which  has  no  significance  except  as 
showing  that  I  did  not  wish  to  be  included  in  the  category 
of  certain  venal  bureaucrats  who  turned  their  coat  with 
contemptible  shamelessness  to  suit  the  wind.  The  im- 
pression it  made  was  piteous,  while  even  my  most  zealous 
opponents  shook  my  hand  with  greater  warmth  after  my 
declaration.  I  have  just  come  from  a  great  citizens'  meet- 
ing, of  perhaps  a  thousand  people,  in  the  Milenz  Hall, 
where  the  Polish  question  was  debated  very  decorously, 

115 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK      [Aug. 

very  good  speeches  were  made,  and  on  the  whole  the  sen- 
timent seemed  to  turn  against  the  Poles,  especially  after  a 
disconsolate  Jew  had  arrived,  straight  from  Samter,  who 
told  terrible  stories  about  the  lawless  excesses  of  the 
Poles  against  the  Germans :  he  himself  had  been  soundly 
beaten.  .   .    . 

Just  for  my  sake  do  not  alarm  yourself  if  each  mail  does 
not  bring  you  a  letter  from  me.  There  is  not  the  slightest 
probability  that  a  hair  of  our  heads  will  be  touched,  and 
my  friends  of  all  kinds  overrun  me,  to  share  their  political 
wisdom  with  me,  so  that  I  began  a  letter  of  one-quarter 
sheet  to  Malle  this  morning  at  9,  and  could  not  finish  before 
3.  I  am  living  in  comfort  and  economy  with  Werdeck, 
only  rather  far  away,  in  consequence  of  which  I  already 
feel  the  pavement  through  my  soles.  Cordial  remembrances 
to  the  mother  and  the  Bellins.  I  am  writing  on  the  table 
d'hote  table  of  the  Hotel  des  Princes,  and  a  small  salad  has 
just  been  brought  for  my  supper. 

Your  very  faithful  B. 

April  3,  '48. 

SCHONHAUSEN,   All  gust  21,    '48. 
8.30  P.  M. 

To  Herr  von  Puttkamer,  at  Reinjeld,  near  Zuckers, 
Pomerania. 
DEAR  FATHER, — You  have  just  become,  with  God's 
gracious  help,  the  grandfather  of  a  healthy,  well-formed 
girl  that  Johanna  has  presented  me  with  after  hard  but 
short  pains.  At  the  moment  mother  and  child  are  doing 
as  well  as  one  could  wish.  Johanna  lies  still  and  tired, 
yet  cheerful  and  composed,  behind  the  curtain;  the  little 
creature,  in  the  meantime,  under  coverlets  on  the  sofa, 
and  squalls  off  and  on.  I  am  quite  glad  that  the  first 
is  a  daughter,  but  if  it  had  been  a  cat  I  should  have  thanked 

Il6 


1848I       THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

God  on  my  knees  the  moment  Johanna  was  rid  of  it :  it  is 
really  a  desperately  hard  business.  I  came  from  Berlin 
last  night,  and  this  morning  we  had  no  premonition  of 
what  was  to  come.  At  ten  in  the  morning  Johanna  was 
seized  with  severe  pains  after  eating  a  grape,  and  the 
accompanying  symptoms  led  me  to  put  her  at  once  to  bed, 
and  to  send  in  haste  to  Tangermiinde,  whence,  in  spite 
of  the  Elbe,  Dr.  Fricke  arrived  soon  after  12.  At  8  my 
daughter  was  audible,  with  sonorous  voice.  This  after- 
noon I  sent  Hildebrand  off  to  fetch  nurse  Boldt  from  Berlin 
in  a  great  hurry.  I  hope  you  will  not  postpone  your  jour- 
ney now;  but  earnestly  beg  dear  mother  not  to  make 
the  trip  in  an  exhausting  manner.  I  know,  of  course, 
that  she  has  little  regard  for  her  own  health,  but  just  for 
Johanna's  sake  you  must  take  care  of  yourself,  dear  mother, 
so  that  she  may  not  be  anxious  on  your  account.  Fricke 
pleases  us  very  much — experienced  and  careful.  I  do 
not  admit  visits :  Bellin's  wife,  the  doctor,  and  I  attend  to 
everything.  Fricke  estimates  the  little  one  at  about  nine 
pounds  in  weight.  Up  to  the  present  time,  then,  every- 
thing has  gone  according  to  rule,  and  for  that  praise  and 
thanks  be  to  the  Lord.  If  you  could  bring  Annchen  with 
you  that  would  make  Johanna  very  happy. 

22.  Morning. — It  is  all  going  very  well,  only  the  cradle  is 
still  lacking,  and  the  little  miss  must  camp  meanwhile  on 
a  forage-crib.  May  God  have  you  and  us  in  his  keeping. 
dear  parents.     Until  we  meet  again,  presently.  B. 

Have  the  kindness  to  attend  to  the  announcements, 
save  in  Berlin  and  Reddentin,  in  your  neighborhood : 
Seehof,  Satz,  and  so  forth  Johanna  sends  cordial  greet- 
ings. She  laments  her  daughter's  large  nose.  I  think 
it  no  larger  than  it  has  a  right  to  be. 

117 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK     TSept. 
SCHONHAUSEN,  August  24,  '48. 

To  Frau  von  Putlkamer,  nee  von  Glasenap,  Reinfeld,  near 
Zuckers. 
DEAR  MOTHER, — I  am  uncertain  whether  this  letter 
will  find  you  still  in  Reinfield,  and  write  at  hap-hazard; 
but  I  want  to  convey  the  comforting  assurance  in  it  that 
Johanna's  condition  is  still  good.  Only  a  cough  that  she 
contracted  several  days  before  the  child's  birth  troubles 
her  somewhat  in  her  feebleness,  especially  this  morning. 
The  little  creature  bellows  precisely  as  though  it  were  go- 
ing to  be  slaughtered,  and  in  general  has  no  misgivings 
about  letting  its  voice  resound  mightily  when  it  wakes 
up  and  does  not  find  everything  in  order.  In  regard  to 
nourishment,  things  are  going  badly  still.  The  brat, 
with  an  obstinacy  which  she  cannot  inherit  from  me, 
positively  refuses  to  take  the  breast,  like  a  naughty  hedge- 
hog, save  that  she  also  makes  her  aversion  very  clearly 
understood.  Till  now  Boldt  has  been  sleeping  in  your 
room,  and  I  still  behind  the  curtain,  so  that,  at  least  at  the 
first,  I  may  be  near  her,  for  she  has  most  confidence  in  me, 
and  I  am  the  most  thoughtful  for  her,  too.  So  I  alternate 
all  day  long,  like  Schiller's  knight  of  St.  John,  between 
political  battles  and  plans  at  my  writing-desk  and  the 
nurse's  apron  at  the  sick-bed.  I  seem  to  myself  to  be  very 
nice  in  the  comparison.  Mail  time  is  at  hand  A  cordial 
good-bye,  dear  mother.  Your  faithful  son,  B. 

BERLIN,  Saturday,  11  P.M.,  September  23,   '48. 
To  Frau  von  Bismarck,  Schonhausen,  near  Jerichow. 

My  Pet! — To-day  at  last  I  have  news  of  your  condi- 
tion, and  am  very  grateful  to  mother  for  the  letter.  ...  I 
am  beginning  to  be  really  homesick   for  you,  my  heart, 

118 


1848]      THE  LOVE    LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

and  mother's  letter  to-day  threw  me  into  a  mood  utterly 
sad  and  crippling:  a  husband's  heart,  and  a  father's — at 
any  rate,  mine  in  the  present  circumstances  —  does  not 
fit  in  with  the  whirl  of  politics  and  intrigue.  On  Monday, 
probably,  the  die  will  be  cast  here.  Either  the  ministry 
will  be  shown  to  be  weak,  like  its  predecessors,  and  sink 
out — and  against  this  I  shall  still  struggle — or  it  will  do 
its  duty,  and  then  I  do  not  for  a  moment  doubt  that  blood 
will  flow  on  Monday  evening  or  on  Tuesday.  I  should 
not  have  believed  that  the  democrats  would  be  confident 
enough  to  take  up  the  gage  of  battle,  but  all  their  behavior 
indicates  that  they  are  bent  on  it.  Poles,  Frankfort  men, 
loafers,  volunteers — all  sorts  of  riffraff  are  again  at  hand. 
They  count  on  the  defection  of  the  troops,  apparently  mis- 
led by  the  talk  of  individual  discontented  gabblers  among 
the  soldiers ;  but  I  think  they  will  make  a  great  mistake. 
I  personally  have  no  occasion  to  await  the  thing  here,  and 
so  to  tempt  God  by  asking  him  to  protect  me  in  perils  that 
I  have  no  call  to  seek.  Accordingly,  I  shall  betake  my  per- 
son to  a  place  of  safety  not  later  than  to-morrow.  If  noth- 
ing important  occurs  on  Monday,  on  Tuesday  I  shall  reach 
you ;  but  if  the  trouble  begins,  I  should  still  like  to  stay 
near  the  King.  But  there  you  may  (in  an  aside  I  say  "  un- 
fortunately ")  assume  with  confidence  that  there  will  be  no 
danger.  You  received  no  letter  from  me  to-day,  because  I 
sent  a  report  about  the  society  to  Gartner,  and  you  will 
learn  from  him  that  I  am  all  right.  You  will  receive  this 
to-morrow,  and  I  shall  write  again  on  Monday.  Send 
horses  for  me  on  Tuesday.  God  bless  and  guard  you,  my 
sweetheart.  Your  faithful  B. 

Sunday,  November  4,  '48. 
MY  SWEETHEART,  —  I    did  not  write  you  yesterday 

119 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Nov. 

because  Hans  had  faithfully  promised  me  to  go  from 
Potsdam  to  Schonhausen  at  ten  o'clock.  I  hope  he  is  with 
you.  I  was  absent  all  day  yesterday  on  State  affairs ;  did 
not  reach  home  till  late  at  night,  and  am  still  in  bed — es- 
pecially as  I  have  nothing  to  put  on  yet.  Perhaps  I  shall 
find  news  from  you  in  the  Hotel  des  Princes  (I  am  still 
living  with  Goltz).  I  am  very  homesick  and  disturbed 
about  you,  my  beloved;  your  image  is  ever  before  me, 
so  pale  and  large-eyed  that  I  fairly  long  to  lay  hold  on 
you  as  substantial  flesh  and  bone,  and  to  reassure  myself. 
I  will  come  to-morrow  without  fail,  too ;  send  horses  for  me 
at  noon,  though  I  shall  not  come  before  evening,  perhaps. 
Do  not  scold  me;  be  not  angry,  my  heart,  for  I  could  not 
leave  before.  My  compliments  to  M.  It  is  high  time  to 
close.  Your  B. 

(Postmark,  BERLIN,  November  g,  '48.) 
MY  DEAREST,— Although  I  am  confident  that  I  shall 
be  with  you  in  person  a  few  hours  after  this  letter,  I  want  to 
inform  you  immediately  that  everything  is  quiet  till  now. 
I  go  to  Potsdam  at  nine,  but  must  post  the  letter  here  now, 
as  otherwise  it  will  not  reach  you  to-day.  Our  friends 
have  been  steadfast  till  now,  but  I  cannot  take  courage 
yet  to  believe  in  anything  energetic.  I  still  fear,  fear, 
and  the  weather  is  unfavorable,  too.  Above  all,  you  must 
not  be  afraid  of  anything,  if  I  should  stay  away  to-day 
by  any  chance.  The  K.  may  send  for  me,  or  some  one  else 
in  Potsdam  earnestly  wish  that  I  should  stay  there  to  ad- 
vise upon  further  measures,  the  trains  may  be  dela\'ed 
because  the  carriages  are  required  for  soldiers,  and  other 
things  of  the  sort.  Then,  courage  and  patience,  my  heart, 
in  any  event.  The  God  who  makes  worlds  go  round  can 
also  cover  me  with  his  wings.     And  in  P.  there  is  no  danger 

120 


1848]     THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

anyhow.  So  expect  me  in  the  evening ;  if  I  happen  not  to 
come,  I  shall  be  all  right  nevertheless.  Cordial  remem- 
brances to  our  cross  little  mother. 

Your  most  faithful  B. 


Potsdam,  November  10,  '48. 
My  ANGEL, — Please,  please  do  not  scold  me  for  not 
coming  to-day  either ;  I  must  try  to  put  through  some  more 
matters  in  relation  to  the  immediate  future.  At  two  this 
afternoon  all  Wrangel's  troops  will  reach  Berlin,  disarm 
the  flying  corps,  maybe,  take  the  disaffected  deputies 
from  the  Concertsaal,  and  make  the  city  again  a  royal 
Prussian  one.  It  is  doubtful  whether  they  will  come  to 
blows  in  the  process.  Contrary  to  our  expectations,  every- 
thing remained  quiet  yesterday ;  the  democrats  seem  to  be 
much  discouraged.  .  .  .  Your  V.  B. 


POTSDAM,  November  14,  '48. 
MY  DEAR  PET, — Long  sleep  can  certainly  become  a  vice. 
Senfft  has  just  waked  me  at  nine  o'clock,  and  I  cannot 
yet  get  the  sand  out  of  my  eyes.  It  is  quiet  here.  Yester- 
day it  was  said  to  be  the  intention  to  serenade  the  Queen 
(on  her  birthday)  with  mock  music ;  one  company  posted 
there  sufficed  to  make  the  audacious  people  withdraw  in 
silence.  Berlin  in  a  state  of  siege,  but  as  yet  not  a  shot 
fired.  The  disarming  of  the  city  militia  goes  on  forcibly 
and  very  gradually.  The  meeting  in  the  Schutzenhaus 
was  dispersed  by  soldiers  yesterday ;  six  men  who  were 
unwilling  to  go  thrown  out  at  the  door.  Martial  law  will 
be  proclaimed  over  there  to-day.  My  friend  Schramm 
has  been  arrested.    That  Rob.  Blum,  Frobel,  Mcssenhauser, 

121 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Nov. 

have  been  shot  in  Vienna,  you  already  know  from  the 
newspapers.  Good-bye,  you  angel;  I  must  close.  Many 
remembrances  to  all.  The  peasants  of  the  neighborhood 
have  declared  to  the  King  that  if  he  has  need  of  them  he 
should  just  call  them :  that  they  would  come  with  weapons 
and  supplies  to  aid  his  troops,  from  the  Zauch-Belzig- 
Teltow,  the  Havelland,  and  other  districts.  Mention  that 
in  Schonhausen,  please,  so  that  it  may  go  the  rounds. 

Your  V.  B. 


POTSDAM,  Thursday  Morning, 
November  16,  '48. 

DEAR  NANNE ! — I  did  not  get  your  very  dear,  nice  letter 
of  Tuesday  morning  until  yesterday  afternoon,  but  none 
the  less  did  I  right  fervently  rejoice  and  take  comfort  in  it, 
because  you  are  well,  at  least  in  your  way,  and  are  fond  of 
me.  There  is  no  news  from  here  except  that  Potsdam 
and  Berlin  are  as  quiet  as  under  the  former  King,  and  the 
surrender  of  arms  in  B.  continues  without  interruption, 
with  searching  of  houses,  etc.  It  is  possible  that  there 
may  be  scenes  of  violence  incidentally — the  troops  secretl}7 
long  for  them — but  on  the  whole  the  "passive  resistance" 
of  the  democrats  seems  to  me  only  a  seasonable  expression 
for  what  is  usually  called  fear.  Yesterday  I  dined  with 
the  King.  The  Queen  was  amiable  in  the  English  fashion. 
The  enclosed  twig  of  erica  I  picked  from  her  sewing-table, 
and  send  it  to  keep  you  from  being  jealous.  .  .   . 

If  a  letter  from  the  Stettin  bank  has  arrived,  send  it  to 
me  immediately,  please,  marked,  "  To  be  delivered  prompt- 
ly." If  I  do  not  receive  it  before  day  after  to-morrow,  I 
shall  return  home,  but  must  then  go  to  Stettin  at  the  be- 
ginning of  next  week.     So  let  horses  be  sent  for  me  on 

122 


1848]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

Saturday  afternoon ;   this  evening  I  unfortunately  cannot 
go  to  Genthin,  because  I  expect  Manteuffel  here.  .  .  . 

The  democrats  are  working  all  their  schemes  in  order 
to  represent  the  opinion  of  the  "people"  as  hostile  to  the 
King;  hundreds  of  feigned  signatures.  Please  ask  the 
town-counsellor  whether  there  are  not  some  sensible  people 
in  Magdeburg,  who  care  more  for  their  neck,  with  quiet 
and  good  order,  than  for  this  outcry  of  street  politicians, 
and  who  will  send  the  King  a  counter-address  from  Mag- 
deburg. I  must  close.  Give  my  best  regards  to  mamma, 
and  kiss  the  little  one  for  me  on  the  left  eye.  Day  after 
to-morrow,  then,  if  I  do  not  get  the  Stettin  letter  sooner. 
Good-bye,  my  sweet  angel. 

Yours  forever,  V.  B. 

Friday  Evening,  November  17,  '48. 
MY  DARLING, — I  have  a  real  heart's  need  to  be  with 
you,  and  I  wander  around  impatiently,  not  because  I  fear 
lest  you  should  grieve  and  fret  and  be  angry  with  me  for 
remaining  away,  but  it  is  my  own  egotism:  the  restless, 
vagabond  life,  the  solitariness -in  all  this  trouble,  oppresses 
me  beyond  measure,  and  I  just  long  to  sit  with  you  by  the 
domestic  fireside.  In  spite  of  that,  however,  I  shall  per- 
haps not  be  able  to  travel  to-morrow.  Politically,  all 
goes  according  to  my  wish  as  yet,  and  I  am  very  thankful 
to  God  that  he  has  deemed  me  worthy  of  rendering  impor- 
tant services  to  the  good  cause  on  several  occasions,  and 
again  to-day.  At  the  moment  I  am  still  in  Berlin,  at 
Savigny's,  but  in  half  an  hour  I  go  to  Potsdam,  whence 
I  shall  forward  this  letter  to-morrow.  Here  it  is  entirely 
quiet ;  the  aspect  of  the  streets  has  again  become  much 
more  pleasing,  and  the  troops  are  disarming  without  in- 
terruption. 

123 


THE    LOVE    LETTERS    OF    BISMARCK      [Feb. 

Potsdam. — What  with  writing  and  speaking,  one  o'clock 
has  come  around  again,  and  I  would  rather  finish  this 
to-day  and  sleep  late  to-morrow.  My  sincere  thanks  for 
both  your  letters,  which  have  given  me  great  pleasure 
in  my  uncomfortable  homesickness.  But  do  not  ruin 
your  eyes  utterly,  my  sweet  angel,  so  that  the  little  stars 
may  be  quite  wide  and  dark  when  f  come.  But  to-morrow 
I  cannot,  my  dear,  as  I  have  another  conference  here  Sun- 
day morning.  I  hope  I  can  then  settle  the  money  matter 
in  Berlin,  and  need  not  go  to  Stettin.   .   .   . 

A  cordial  good-bye.  I  kiss  your  hands,  my  sweet,  and 
will  go  to  sleep.  Finkenstein  is  snoring  near  me  like  a 
tiger.  Good-night.  God  protect  you,  with  mother  and 
daughter.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

Brandenburg,  Friday, 
February  2,  '49. 

MY  DEAR! — Again  I  am  sitting  at  Franziska's  little 
table,  and  the  sun  is  shining  straight  into  my  face  so  that 
I  can  scarcely  see.  A  very  nice  preacher  is  here  whom 
Barschall*  brought  with  him  from  Genthin.  He  lives 
not  far  from  Briest — a  strong,  devout  nature,  reminding 
me  of  Wagner  somewhat.    .   .    . 

My  angel,  is  it  well  with  you?  Do  you  not  write  at  all? 
Are  there  no  letters  for  me?  Last  night  I  felt  somehow 
very  anxious  on  your  account  as  I  lay  in  bed,  and  I  was 
really  homesick;  besought  the  dear  God  very  earnestly 
that  He  would  be  pleased  to  guard  you.  I  hope  He  has 
done  so,  although  I  do  not  deserve  it  at  His  hands.  You 
received  my  letter  yesterday,  of  course.    I  took  it  myself  to 


*  Governor  of  the  prison  in  Brandenburg,  and  husband  of  Franziska 
von  Puttkamer-Versin. 

124 


1849]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

the  station,  and  was  assured  that  it  would  leave  at  nine. 
Now  I  will  take  this  there,  too;  it  is  half  past  nine, 
and  the  train  goes  in  an  hour.  My  love  to  mother  and 
daughter.  Your  faithful  V.  B. 

Brandenburg,  February  5,  '49. 
BELOVED  HEART, — Many  thanks  for  your  letter,  which 
I  received  yesterday  in  the  midst  of  the  exhalation  and  noise 
of  four  hundred  people,  to  whom  I  had,  with  God's  help, 
just  delivered  a  speech  which  was  received  with  stormy  ap- 
proval.  Barschall  brought  it,  and  I  read  it  under  a  stinking 
lamp.  "  When  a  sweet,  familiar  tone  drew  me  from  the  awful 
turmoil:"  thus  was  I  for  a  moment  withdrawn  from  the 
disorderly  proceedings,  and  with  you  in  a  cosey  little  room, 
with  the  child  and  mother,  with  water  boiling  for  tea  and 
nice  eggs.  It  will  be  a  hard  thing,  if  I  should  be  elected — 
this  life  without  rest  in  the  heart.   .    .   . 

You  will,  then,  see  me,  not  until  to-morrow  noon,  either 
elected,  and  with  a  headache,  or  not  elected,  and  then  pre- 
sumably without  one.  Yesterday,  already  rejoicing  over 
the  result,  at  least  fifty  healths  were  drunk — mine  also, 
of  course;  there  were  over  two  hundred  guests — peasants, 
townspeople,  and  "of  nobility,"  as  Luther  used  to  say. 
They  sang,  "Hail  to  Thee!  "  and  " I  am  a  Prussian."  How 
will  it  be  to-day,  if  they  should  elect  me?  Democrats 
and  republicans  listened  to  my  speech  together,  and  even 
the  worst  of  them  kept  so  scrupulously  quiet  that  one  could 
hear  a  pin  drop,  and  some  of  them  came  up  afterwards 
to  shake  hands  with  me.  All  refrained  very  decorously 
from  vulgar  demonstrations.  Cordial  remembrances  to 
mother,  and  may  God  protect  you  and  your  little  one.  I 
must  close  to  take  this  to  the  station. 

Your  most  faithful  and  dearest  V.  B. 

125 


THE    LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK     [Mar. 

Friday  Evening. 
(Postmark,  BERLIN,  March  3,  '49.) 

I  have  just  received  your  letter  of  yesterday,  my  angel, 
and  1  am  very  sorry  that  you  have  again  had  so  much 
trouble  with  the  dear  little  one.  If  you  are  anywise  dis- 
tressed about  the  conduct  of  the  nurse,  I  advise  you  again  to 
dismiss  her  instantly  and  take  another.  I  cannot  believe  that 
such  a  change  can  do  so  much  harm  as  her  mental  agitation 
and  other  possible  bad  qualities.  If  the  child  should  begin 
to  lose  in  health  with  her,  that  must  certainly  be  done.  .  .  . 

We  have  no  apartment  yet,  but  an  agent  is  looking  for 
one,  and  we  shall  find  it  easily.  ...  I  regard  it  as 
positively  settled  and  as  natural  that  you  are  to  come, 
only  we  will  wait  for  the  outcome  of  the  debate  on  our 
reply  to  the  speech  from  the  throne;  that  must  ensue  next 
week,  and  then  there  will  be  something  of  a  break,  whether 
the  matter  is  to  last  long  or  not.  I  must  write  still  other 
letters  to-night,  and  so  take  leave  of  you.  I  have  just 
reread  the  138th  Psalm,  and  last  evening  the  64th,  which 
is  similar.  I  haven't  Isaiah!  I  pray  God  very  fervently 
that  He  may  defend  and  sustain  you,  my  sweetheart,  and 
give  you  peace  and  confidence  in  His  strong  and  loving 
hand.  Give  my  love  to  M.  and  baby,  and  farewell,  my 
beloved.  Your  very  faithful  V.  B. 

Take  good  care  of  your  eyes,  too.  Don't  you  notice 
the  least  effect  from  Bucking's  belladonna?  Write  him 
more  precisely  about  your  condition,  and  I  will  look  after 
the  letter.  How  about  your  throat?  I  cannot  count  my 
wash  now — I  have  to  bend  over  too  much.  It  lies  like 
cabbage  and  beets  in  my  portmanteau.  Excuse  me; 
perhaps  I  shall  do  it  Sunday.  The  little  doctor  may  still 
get  his  appointment,  perhaps,  but  it  is  not  certain. 

126 


1849]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

BERLIN,  Sunday.  (Postmark,  March  18,  '49.) 
My  LOVE, — It  is  very  solitary  here  in  my  little  room 
when  one  has  to  drink  his  coffee  all  alone,  and  your  little 
bed  is  once  more  so  littered  with  clothing  and  papers  that 
it  is  in  extreme  disorder.  Immediately  after  your  de- 
parture I  received  a  few  dear  lines  from  mother,  according 
to  which  all  was  going  well  in  Schonhausen.  With  God's 
assistance,  nothing  will  have  been  changed  in  that  situa- 
tion. Since  then  I  have  had  two  very  tiresome  division 
meetings,  and  a  big  dinner  yesterday  of  four  hundred 
persons,  in  which  all  the  veterans  of  1 813,  the  Berlin  militia 
officers,  and  those  officers  who  are  in  the  Chambers  took 
part.  One  had  to  drink  a  great  deal  of  wine,  sing,  shout 
"Hurrah,"  and  my  head  is  rather  confused  to-day.  I 
slept  beyond  church  time,  too,  and  have  no  desire  what- 
ever to  dress  to  attend  a  tiresome  conference  on  regulat- 
ing parishes.  Please  send  back  Malle's  foot-pouch  soon, 
when  you  have  opportunity,  or  by  mail;  she  might  need 
it.  She  has  an  agreement  with  Arnim  now  for  three  games 
of  whist  in  the  afternoon ;  but  she  is  expected  sometimes 
to  play  six,  and  then  she  is  in  a  very  bad  humor.  I  could 
wish  her  both  to  manage  and  to  take  it  differently.  To- 
day I  am  to  dine  with  Beps  in  the  barracks,  a  thing  I  do 
unwillingly:  there  again  one  is  forced  to  drink  wine,  one 
day  like  all  the  rest.  There  seems  to  be  no  thought  of 
celebrating  the  18th  of  March  here;  the  town  has  an  every- 
day appearance.  It  may  be  that  in  other  places,  Cologne, 
and  so  forth,  there  is  something  going  on  —  here  there 
are  too  many  troops  for  that.  To-morrow  the  debates 
on  the  address  begin,  and  from  their  course  one  will  be 
able  to  judge  of  that  of  the  Chamber  as  a  whole,  and  by 
the  end  of  the  week  we  may,  therefore,  decide  about  our 
lodgings.   .  .  .  Your  very  faithful  V.  B. 

127 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK     [Mar. 

BERLIN,  Thursday. 
(Postmark,  March    29,  '49.) 

DEAR  NANNE, — I  received  your  little  letter,  thank 
God,  apparently  forwarded  by  the  Gartners,  and  drew 
fresh  hope  from  it  that  God  will  protect  our  little  one  from 
suffering.  We  have  at  last  taken  an  apartment.  .  .  .  The 
Arnims  have  an  entrance  from  the  stairway ;  we  are,  there- 
fore, quite  separate,  and  have  our  own  home  to  ourselves. 
.  .  .  The  arrangement  seems  to  me  to  meet  all  your  wishes, 
and  yet  it  is  the  dreaded  Antonin  quarter,  Wilhelmstrasse, 
corner  of  Behrenstrasse.  I  fancy  your  dislike  of  it  was 
due  merely  to  the  division  proposed  by  Malle;  the  present 
arrangement  is  my  work,  which  I  have  worked  out  with 
difficulty.  You  are  satisfied  with  it,  are  you  not?  It 
costs  fifty -eight  rix- dollars  per  month  (seven  hundred 
yearly),  to  which  must  be  added  the  furniture,  which  I  esti- 
mate at  fifteen  to  eighteen,  altogether  about  one-third  of  the 
salary.  I  do  not  think  it  too  dear.  It  can  be  occupied  Mon- 
day, and  the  Arnims  move  in  immediately.  We  shall  prob- 
ably have  a  week's  Easter  vacation  from  next  Wednesday. 
This  week  we  may  spend  either  here  or  in  Schonhausen,  ac- 
cording to  your  choice :  to  me  it  seems,  out  of  consideration 
for  the  child,  almost  better  in  Schonhausen.  What  does 
mammy  say  about  it?  In  any  event,  we  will  and  must 
spend  the  holiday  with  her:  that  will  please  God  better. 
We  have  passed  through  our  time  of  trouble  together, 
and  we  will  also  thank  God  together  on  the  day  of  the 
resurrection  that  He  has  brought  us  so  far  on  our  way. 
Church  privileges,  however,  are  better  here.  I  leave  it 
entirely  to  your  will  and  God's ;  the  health  of  our  child  is 
to  have  its  say,  too.  .  .  . 

Forgive  me,  my  love,  that  I  have  not  written  you  for 
three  days.     In  the  few  hours  that  we  had  free  I  was  so 

128 


1849]      THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

beset  with  callers — friends  from  Mecklenburg,  Silesia, 
and  from  the  Rhine — and  so  tired  was  I  that  I  went  to 
sleep  in  the  meetings.  In  Genthin,  on  Monday  morning, 
Unruh  met  me,  and  his  first  question  was  about  the  child. 
He  is  very  sympathetic.  I  hope  I  told  him  the  truth  in  say- 
ing that  the  danger  was  past.  May  God  not  punish  me 
in  this  way  for  my  sins,  and  not  make  you  pay  for  my 
abundant  demerits.  Let  us  commend  ourselves  to  His 
mercy.  Many  salutations  to  M.  A  cordial  good-bye, 
and  send  me  news  of  baby ;  do  not  be  angry,  either,  about 
the  apartment,  if  it  does  not  please  you.  The  others 
were  all  unsuitable,  or  were  already  taken. 

Your  very  faithful,  V.  B. 

I  have  found  the  ribbon  for  mother.  My  sweetheart, 
you,  do  come  on  Sunday,  or,  if  you  are  not  coming,  write 
so  I  may  come. 

Berlin,  July  16,  '49. 
To  Frau  von  Bismarck,  Reinfeld  : 

MY  DEAREST  NANNE, — I  arrived  here  safely,  and  have 
in  some  degree  slept  off  my  fatigue.  We  have  been  parted 
but  forty-two  hours,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  a  week  has 
passed  since  I  saw  you  standing  among  the  pines  on  the  hill 
and  waving  a  farewell ;  then  I  looked  towards  the  blue  hills 
of  Viartlum  on  the  left,  and  our  silent  cousin  considerately 
turned  his  head  to  the  right,  so  as  not  to  see  that  some 
salt-water  ran  down  into  my  beard.  It  was,  I  believe, 
the  first  time  since  the  school  vacations  that  a  leave-tak- 
ing cost  me  tears,  and  in  those  days  they  meant  the 
end  of  freedom  and  the  return  to  school  servitude  quite  as 
much  as  the  separation  from  loved  ones.  This  retrospect, 
in  view  of  the  melancholy  fields  of  Neu-Kolziglow,  made 
I  129 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK      [July, 

me  thank  God  ardently  that  I  again  have  something  from 
which  it  is  hard  to  part,  and  I  besought  Him  that  He  would 
be  pleased  to  bless  our  marriage  still  further  with  true 
love.  It  was  very  disagreeable  in  Schlawe :  many  strange 
people  in  the  room  and  no  light,  bad  beer,  and  smoky  soup. 
My  companion  as  far  as  Coslin  was  a  very  talkative  Herr 
von  Loper,  brother  of  the  Lietzow  Eisenhart,  and  later, 
as  far  as  Stettin,  Schwerin,  our  revolutionary  Minister 
of  Education,  who  slept  until  we  reached  Naugard,  and 
then  all  the  way  to  Stettin  argued  very  zealously  with  me. 
He  is  a  good,  honorable  man,  but  a  dyed-in-the-wool  con- 
stitutionalist. In  Naugard  I  saw  Bernhard  at  the  post- 
office.  From  Stettin  to  this  place  I  travelled  with  two 
German-Polish  ladies,  mother  and  daughter,  who  told  me 
much  about  the  excesses  of  the  Poles  in  Wreschen,  and 
the  continued  reign  of  terror  under  which  the  Germans 
there  are  living:  they  dare  not  even  demand  that  what 
is  left  of  the  property  stolen  from  them  during  the  out- 
break be  returned  by  the  notorious  robbers  and  thieves, 
who  strut  about  in  it  before  their  eyes,  and  Wreschen 
townswomen  are  wearing  shawls  worth  sixty  and  eighty 
rix-dollars  in  the  presence  of  the  German  owners  from 
whom  they  were  taken.  My  gallantry  served  me  a  bad 
turn  once  more.  The  ladies  had  never  been  in  Berlin, 
had  not,  of  course,  ordered  a  carriage  to  meet  them,  and  I 
had  to  take  them  with  me  in  mine,  the  only  remaining 
one,  as  far  as  Meinhard's.*  They  overlooked  the  fact 
that  I  had  paid  their  luggage-porter,  and  when  we  drew 
up  in  front  of  Meinhard's  the  mother  protested  very  ener- 
getically against  my  having  paid  for  the  carriage  alone, 
misunderstood  my  response  that  the  driver  had  not  yet 

♦Meinhardt's  Hotel. 
130 


1849]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK 

been  paid  at  all,  and  vanished  into  the  hotel  with  most 
gracious  regrets  that  I  had  been  put  to  trouble  and  expense 
on  their  account,  so  that  I  finally,  half  amused  and  half 
vexed  at  the  naivete  of  the  provincials,  found  myself  com- 
pelled to  pay  the  driver  double  for  the  fair  sex  and  its  in- 
credible mass  of  bundles.  For  in  summa  ten  groschen 
I  went  to  bed  with  the  reassuring  consciousness  that  I  had 
behaved  like  a  polite  nobleman. 

I  went  to  Arnim's  yesterday,  late  as  it  was,  a  little  be- 
fore ten  o'clock.  Malle  was  very  well,  according  to  Sade- 
wasser's  report;  Arnim  had  already  been  asleep  for  an 
hour.  I  waked  him,  as  he  was  going  to  Angermunde  this 
morning;  but,  in  spite  of  manifold  expectorations,  could 
not  get  him  to  understand  clearly  that  I  no  longer  lived 
in  the  apartment,  so  drunk  with  sleep  was  he.  He  had 
passed  the  previous  night,  as  well  as  I  could  gather  from 
his  fragmentary,  half-dreaming  words,  with  several  land- 
stewards;  asked,  with  a  glazed  look,  "Where  were  you 
yesterday,  and  how  is  Johanna  doing?"  and  went  off 
gently  to  sleep  again  on  my  hands.  .  .  . 

God  defend  you  all,  and  the  little  one,  too.  Do  not  wear 
your  dress  too  tight,  and  take  care  of  your  eyes,  my  pet. 
Good-bye.  Your  most  faithful  V.  BISMARCK. 


SCHONHAUSEN,  July   1 8,  '49. 

My  PET, —  ...  I  wanted  to  write  you  in  the  evening, 
but  the  air  was  so  heavenly  that  I  sat  for  two  hours  or  so 
on  the  bench  in  front  of  the  garden-house,  smoked  and 
looked  at  the  bats  flying,  just  as  with  you  two  years  ago, 
my  darling,  before  we  started  on  our  trip.  The  trees 
stood  so  still  and  high  near  me,  the  air  fragrant  with  linden 
blossoms;  in  the  garden  a  quail  whistled  and  partridges 

131 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK       [July, 

allured,  and  over  beyond  Arneburg  lay  the  last  pink 
border  of  the  sunset.  I  was  truly  filled  with  gratitude 
to  God,  and  there  arose  before  my  soul  the  quiet  happi- 
ness of  a  family  life  filled  with  love,  a  peaceful  haven, 
into  which  a  gust  of  wind  perchance  forces  its  way  from 
the  storms  of  the  world-ocean  and  ruffles  the  surface, 
but  its  warm  depths  remain  clear  and  still  so  long  as  the 
cross  of  the  Lord  is  reflected  in  them.  Though  the  re- 
flected image  be  often  faint  and  distorted,  God  knows 
his  sign  still.  Do  you  give  thanks  to  Him,  too,  my  angel ; 
think  of  the  many  blessings  He  has  conferred  upon  us, 
and  the  many  dangers  against  which  He  has  protected  us, 
and,  with  firm  reliance  on  His  strong  hand,  confront  the 
evil  spirits  with  that  when  they  try  to  affright  your  sick 
fancy  with  all  sorts  of  images  of  fear.  .  .  . 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Brandenburg,  July  23,  '49. 
MY  BELOVED  NANNE! —  I  have  just  received  your 
short  letter  of  Friday,  which  reassures  me  somewhat, 
as  I  infer  from  it  that  our  little  one  has  not  the  croup,  but 
the  whooping-cough,  which  is,  indeed,  bad,  but  not  so 
dangerous  as  the  other.  You,  poor  dear,  must  have  wor- 
ried 37ourself  sick.  It  is  very  fortunate  that  you  have 
such  good  assistance  from  our  people  and  the  preacher, 
yet  are  you  all  somewhat  lacking  in  confidence,  and  in- 
crease each  other's  anxiety  instead  of  comforting  one 
another.  Barschall  has  just  told  me  that  all  of  his  children 
have  had  this  croupy  cough  —  that  it  was  endemic  in 
Posen  in  his  time;  his  own  and  other  children  were  at- 
tacked by  it  repeatedly  in  the  course  of  a  few  days;  that 
every  family  had  an  emetic  of  a  certain  kind  on  hand  in 

132 


1849J      THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK 

the  house,  and  by  that  means  overcame  the  enemy  easily 
every  time,  and  without  permanent  consequences  for  the 
child.  Be  comforted,  then,  and  trust  in  the  Lord  God; 
He  does,  indeed,  show  us  the  rod  that  He  has  ready  for  us, 
but  I  have  the  firm  belief  that  He  will  put  it  back  behind  the 
mirror.  As  a  child  I,  too,  suffered  from  whooping-cough 
to  the  extent  of  inflammation  of  the  lungs,  and  yet  entirely 
outgrew  it.  I  have  the  greatest  longing  to  be  with  you, 
my  angel,  and  think  day  and  night  about  you  and  your 
distress,  and  about  the  little  creature,  during  all  the  wild 
turmoil  of  the  elections.  .  .  . 

Here  in  Brandenburg  the  party  of  the  centre  is  decidedly 
stronger  than  ours;  in  the  country  districts  I  hope  it  is 
the  other  way,  yet  the  fact  cannot  be  overlooked.  It  is 
incredible  what  cock-and-bull  stories  the  democrats  tell 
the  peasants  about  me ;  in  fact,  one  from  the  Schonhausen 
district,  three  miles  from  us,  confided  to  me  yesterday  that, 
when  my  name  is  mentioned  among  them,  a  regular  shud- 
der goes  through  them  from  head  to  foot,  as  though  they 
should  get  a  couple  of  "  old-Prussian  broadsword  strokes  " 
laid  across  their  shoulders.  As  an  opponent  said  recently, 
at  a  meeting,  "Do  you  mean  to  elect  Bismarck  Schon- 
hausen, the  man  '  who,  in  the  countryman's  evening 
prayer,  stands  hard  by  the  devil'?"  (From  Grillparzer's 
"  Ahnfrau.")  And  yet  I  am  the  most  soft-hearted  person 
in  the  world  towards  the  common  people.  On  the  whole, 
my  election  here  in  these  circumstances  seems  very  doubt- 
ful to  me;  and  as  I  do  not  believe  I  shall  be  elected  in  the 
other  place  either,  when  I  am  not  there  personally,  we 
may  live  together  quietly  the  rest  of  the  summer,  if  it  be 
God's  will,  and  I  will  pet  you  into  recovery  from  your 
fright  about  the  child,  my  darling.  Have  no  anxiety 
whatever  about  my  personal  safety;  one  hears  nothing 

133 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK       [Aug. 

of  the  cholera  here  except  in  a  letter  from  Reinfeld.  The 
first  rule  to  observe,  if  it  should  come  nearer  to  you,  is  to 
speak  of  it  as  little  as  possible;  by  speaking,  one  always 
augments  the  fear  of  others,  and  fear  of  it  is  the  easiest 
bridge  on  which  it  can  enter  the  human  body.  .  .  . 
God  guard  you  and  your  child,  and  all  our  house. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

It  is  better  not  to  leave  the  doors  all  open  constantly, 
for  the  child  often  gets  shock  from  the  draught,  when  one 
is  opened,  before  you  can  prevent  it. 


Berlin,  August  8,  '49. 

My  PRETTY  DARLING, — I  arrived  here  day  before  yes- 
terday evening,  rather  tired — from  Schlawe  to  Stettin  in 
an  extra  coach  again,  changing,  therefore,  at  each  sta- 
tion, but  less  uncomfortable.  The  conductor  was  my  only 
company  as  far  as  Naugard,  and  happily  was  silent.   .  .  . 

Hans  lives  here  in  the  hotel,  too.  I  am  still  undecided 
whether  I  shall  live  with  him  in  a  chambre  gamie.  He  is 
somewhat  too  tyrannical  for  me,  with  my  habits ;  wakes 
me  every  morning  before  I  want  to  get  up,  and  orders 
my  coffee  so  that  it  gets  cold ;  then  suddenly  pulls  Gossner's 
little  jewel-box  out  of  his  pocket,  and  grants  me  as  a  privi- 
lege a  morning  devotion  with  a  hymn,  which  he  reads  aloud. 
That  is  all  very  fine,  but  for  me  often  untimely.  Nothing 
must  be  said  to  him  about  it,  however,  or  he  will  get  skit- 
tish again;  he  is  much  more  affectionate  at  present.  I 
went  to  see  Malle  yesterday;  you  will  have  received  her 
letter  meanwhile.  The  wet  -  nurse's  sister  wished  to 
have  the  news  of  the  child's  death  kept  from  her,  as  other- 
wise her  milk  might  fail.     I  am  only  afraid  she  will  some- 

134 


1849]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

how  learn  of  it,  nevertheless,  and  then  will  be  still  more 
shocked.  Follow  your  own  judgment  in  the  matter. 
I  cannot  pass  upon  it  at  this  distance.  If  it  affects  her  very 
much,  you  must  send  her  away.  For  the  rest,  the  child 
had  every  assistance  and  care,  and  its  father  had  ac- 
cepted it  with  much  love.  .  .  . 

Your  very  faithful  V.  B. 


(Postmark,  BERLIN,  August  8,  '49.) 
MY  LOVE, — I  sent  you  a  letter  this  morning,  and  have 
just  received  yours,  in  reply  to  which  I  will  add  a  few 
more  words  touching  the  wet-nurse.  If  any  one  besides 
you  and  father  and  mother  already  knows  about  the 
matter,  in  the  house  or  outside,  then  tell  her  the  truth 
unhesitatingly,  for  in  that  case  it  will  not  stay  hidden. 
If  the  matter  is  still  known  to  yourselves  alone,  let  it  con- 
tinue so,  but  then  keep  watch  on  the  mail-bag,  lest  she 
learn  of  it  unexpectedly.  The  wet-nurse's  sister  here 
is  unwilling  to  have  it  told  to  her.  I  shall  look  her  up 
to-day  and  speak  with  her.  But  if  you  do  not  wish  to 
keep  it  secret  any  longer,  when  once  the  child  is  rid  of  her 
cough,  you  should  at  any  rate  look  about  you  for  a  wet- 
nurse  or  woman  who,  in  case  of  necessity,  can  take  Fried- 
erike's  place  immediately,  if  the  effect  is  such  that  the 
child  cannot  stay  with  her.  I  shall  get  the  sister  to  give 
me  a  letter  to  her,  in  which  the  story  will  be  told  exactty 
and  soothingly ;  this  I  shall  send  to  you,  so  that  you  may 
make  use  of  it  in  case  of  need ;  that,  I  think,  is  the  best  way 
she  can  learn  of  it.  To  tell  her  first  that  her  child  is  sick, 
and  so  forth,  I  do  not  consider  a  good  plan,  for  anxiety 
has  a  worse  effect  than  the  truth.  God  will  graciously 
bring  us  out  of  this  trouble.     He  holds   us  with  a   short 

135 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK       [Aug. 

rein  lest  we  should  become  self-confident,  but  He  will  not 
let  us  fall.  Good-bye,  my  best-of-all ;  pray  and  keep  your 
head  up.  Your  very  faithful  V.  B. 


Berlin,  August  n,  '49. 
MON  ANGE, — I  went  to  see  the  wet-nurse's  kinsfolk,  and 
there  learned  that  the  fiance  had  written  to  her  last  Wed- 
nesday and  revealed  all  to  her;  so  the  matter  will  go  as 
God  directs.  If  you  chanced  to  intercept  the  letter,  and  on 
receipt  of  this  have  not  yet  delivered  it,  please  delay  it  until 
my  next  arrives.  I  could  not  find  the  fiance  himself,  and 
directed  him  to  come  to  me  this  evening,  and  shall  write 
you  what  I  learn  from  him.  If  Friederike  knows  every- 
thing already,  my  wishes  will  reach  you  too  late;  other- 
wise I  should  like,  if  in  accordance  with  medical  opinion, 
not  to  have  the  wet-nurse  sent  away  altogether,  but  only 
relieved  from  service  for  a  few  hours  or  days ;  if,  however, 
there  are  scruples  on  that  point,  it  can't  be  done,  of  course. 
From  my  many  doubts,  you  will  see  that  I  cannot  decide 
the  matter  very  well  at  this  distance.  Act  quite  in  accord- 
ance with  the  advice  of  your  mother  and  the  other  ex- 
perienced friends.  I  give  my  views,  merely,  not  com- 
mands. ...  Be  content  with  these  lines  for  to-day; 
be  courageous  and  submissive  to  God's  will,  my  darling ; 
all  will  surely  go  well.  Cordial  remembrances  to  the 
parents.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

Berlin,  Friday. 

(Postmark,  August  17,  '49.) 

DEAREST  NANNE, —  .  .  .  Your  last  letter,  in  which  j^ou 

inform  me  of  the  happy  solution  of  the  wet-nurse  difficulty, 

took  a  real  load  off  my  heart ;  I  thanked  God  for  His  mercy, 

and  could  almost  have  got  drunk  from  pure  gayety.     May 

136 


1849]      THE    LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

His  protection  extend  henceforward,  too,  over  you  and  the 
little  darling.  I  am  living  with  Hans  here  at  the  corner  of 
Taubenstrasse,  three  rooms  and  one  alcove,  quite  elegant, 
but  narrow  little  holes;  Hans's  bed  full  of  bugs,  but  mine 
not  as  yet — I  seem  not  to  be  to  their  taste.  We  pay  twenty- 
five  rix-dollars  a  month,  together.  If  there  were  one  ad- 
ditional small  room,  and  not  two  flights  of  stairs,  I  could 
live  with  you  here,  and  Hans  could  get  another  apartment 
below  in  this  house.  But  as  it  is,  it  would  be  too  cramped 
for  us.  I  have  talked  with  the  fiance  of  the  wet-nurse,  a 
modest-looking  person.  He  spoke  of  her  with  love,  and 
declared  in  reply  to  my  question  that  he  certainly  is  willing 
to  marry  her.  What  he  wrote  about  the  "  white  pestilence  " 
is  nonsense;  no  such  sickness  exists,  least  of  all  in  Berlin. 
The  cholera  is  fast  disappearing.  I  have  not  heard  a  word 
more  about  it  since  I  came  here;  one  sees  it  only  in  news- 
paper reports.  Isn't  our  mammy  jealous  because,  accord- 
ing to  the  paper,  I  have  been  in  company  with  "  striking- 
ly handsome"  Englishwomen?  Lady  Jersey  was  really 
something  uncommon,  such  as  is  usually  seen  only  in 
keepsakes.  I  would  have  paid  a  rix-dollar  admission  if 
she  had  been  exhibited  for  money.  She  is  now  in  Vienna. 
For  the  rest,  I  have  not  had  a  letter  from  you  this  long 
time ;  my  last  news  comes  from  Bernhard,  who  left  you  a 
week  ago  to-day.  God  has  upheld  you  meantime,  I  trust, 
my  angel.  It  is  possible  that  a  letter  from  you  is  here. 
The  delivery  is  always  rather  irregular :  sometimes  the 
letter-carrier  brings  them,  sometimes  they  are  delivered 
at  the  Chamber  postal  station.  I  will  go  immediately 
and  inquire  if  anything  is  there;  then  I  will  take  a  bath, 
and  return  at  least  ten  calls  that  have  been  paid  me.  It 
is  a  misery  that  now  the  people  always  receive  one — one 
loses  a  terrible    amount    of    time    at    it.    .    .    .  Hans    is 

137 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Aug. 

still  inclined  to  treat  me  tyrannically,  but  I  resist,  and 
have  been  so  far  successful  that  I  sleep  as  long  as  I  please, 
whereat  the  coffee  grows  cold,  however,  as  he  is  obstinately 
bent  on  not  breakfasting  alone.  So,  too,  he  will  not  go 
to  bed  if  I  do  not  go  at  the  same  time,  but  sleeps,  just  like 
my  little  Nanne,  on  the  sofa.  .  .  .  Now,  good-bye,  my 
much-beloved  heart.  I  am  very  anxious  on  your  account, 
and  often  am  quite  tearful  about  it.  Best  regards  to  the 
parents.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

BERLIN,  Wednesday, 
(Postmark,  August  22,  '49.) 

MY  DEAREST  NANNE,— As  I  wrote  you  last  Friday, 
at  the  very  moment  of  posting  my  letter  I  came  upon  your 
nice  one,  which  was  a  real  pleasure  and  a  tonic  to  me,  be- 
cause everything  was  going  so  well  with  you,  and  you  are 
so  fond  of  me,  my  angel.  I  fear,  however,  that  my  thanks 
to  God  for  it  were  not  exactly  in  His  spirit,  for  I  went  off 
and  drank  a  great  deal  of  champagne  in  my  delight.  .  .  . 
Hans  went  out  long  ago,  and  I,  just  out  of  bed,  am  sitting 
on  a  red  plush  sofa  and  drinking  in  solitude  the  tea  I  made 
myself,  for  which  Alalle,  the  angel,  has  given  me  half  a 
pound,  and  the  hostess  polished  up  her  brass  Sunday 
kettle.  The  people  are  tailors,  just  recently  married,  and 
very  obliging.  With  Hans  I  lead  a  peaceable  married 
life,  and  I  flatter  myself  that  he  is  becoming  more  amia- 
ble and  human  in  consequence.  He  sings  and  whistles  at 
times,  and  whinnies  as  he  used  to  do,  but  still  he  is  old 
far  beyond  his  years.   .   .    . 

Yesterday  I  went  to  the  industrial  exposition  with  Malle  ; 
there  I  should  have  liked  to  be  a  millionaire  in  order  to  buy 
you  a  lot  of  pretty  things — writing-tables  for  six  hundred 
rix-dollars,  and  the  like.    .    .    . 

138 


1849]      THE    LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

In  the  morning  I  sometimes  ride  out  with  Oscar,  and  in 
the  afternoons  we  take  the  customary  drive  in  the  little 
green  carriage,  with  Malle  and  cigars,  along  the  old  Thier- 
garten  roads,  every  stone  and  every  hole  in  which  the  horses 
know  by  this  time.  The  Hungarian  affair  is  now  probably 
over — it  is  believed  here  that  Gorgey  was  bribed,  but  it  is 
rather  to  be  assumed  that  he  himself  perceives  the  useless- 
ness  of  prolonging  a  struggle  which  will  only  cost  more 
blood  and  money,  without  offering  to  the  Hungarians  any 
prospect  of  advantage.  Our  Frankfort  people  are  very  much 
staggered  by  the  affair,  which  will  perhaps  give  a  differ- 
ent trend  soon  to  the  entire  German  policy.  .  .  .  Hans 
sends  best  regards,  and  urges  me  to  dress  and  go  out.  He 
sticks  close  to  my  side,  and  I  must  now  end,  while  in  spirit 
I  embrace  you,  my  most  deeply  beloved  Nanne. 

Your  most  faithful  v.  B. 


BERLIN,  Thursday, 
(Postmark,  August  23,  '49.) 

MY  DARLING, — Again,  just  when  I  took  my  letter  to 
the  post-office,  1  found  both  of  your  nice  ones  there.  I 
must  countermand  this  receiving  of  letters  through  the 
branch  office  in  the  Chamber;  it  is  too  irregular.  I  suffered 
this  morning  from  the  shady  side  of  living  with  another 
man:  Hans  is  intolerable  with  his  many  visitors.  ...  I 
have  finally  emancipated  myself,  and  am  writing  to  you  in 
my  little  bedroom  only  a  few  words  to  thank  you  for  your 
dear,  very  dear  letters.  How  can  you  possibly  believe  that 
there  could  be  too  many  of  them  for  me?  I  am  always 
cheerful  and  content  for  a  whole  day  when  I  have  read  in 
your  handwriting  that  you  all  are  thriving  and  God  has 
His  hand  over  you.     The  conditions  in  our  apartment 

139 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK      [Aug. 

are  not  so  bad  as  you  think :  the  bugs  have  not  yet  troubled 
me.     Hans  seems  to  taste  better  to  them.    .    .    . 

Hosel  wants  to  be  cordially  remembered  to  all  of  you; 
Hans  also,  of  course,  and  the  latter  commissions  me  to 
tell  you,  in  regard  to  the  Hagens,  in  Langen,  that  they 
will  go  to  Berlin  at  the  end  of  September,  and  are  prepared 
and  have  room  to  take  you  and  child  with  them,  if  you  will 
come  to  Langen  at  that  time.  You  might  correspond  with 
them  about  it.  I  still  think,  indeed,  I  shall  be  able  to  fetch 
you  myself;  but  there  is  always  some  uncertainty  what 
the  situation  will  be  in  the  Chamber  just  at  that  time. 
We  have  before  now  suffered  severe  defeats  at  the  hands 
of  the  Frankforters  in  the  division-elections,  through  the 
absence  of  individuals  of  our  party,  and  it  might  suit  me 
better,  in  some  circumstances,  to  fetch  you  from  Stettin 
than  from  Reinfeld.  All  that,  however,  is  said  provision- 
ally, and  if  there  is  anything  unpleasing  to  you  in  the  plan 
about  the  Hagens,  I  shall  contrive,  I  fancy,  to  come  my- 
self. But  write  to  them,  nevertheless,  if  just  for  the  sake 
of  politeness.  Don't  forget,  either,  to  have  the  Brabant 
coach  made  water-proof.  Again  a  new  caller  is  with 
Hans  in  the  next  room.  .  .  . 

Once  again  a  thousand  thanks  for  your  dear  diligence 
in  writing,  and  the  same  number  of  salutations  for  the 
parents  and  Annchen. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

Berlin,  Monday. 
(Postmark,  August  28,  '49.) 
MY  DARLING, — I  sit  here  in  my  corner  room,  two  flights 
up,  and  survey  the  sky,  full  of  nothing  but  little  sunset- 
tinted   lambs,    as   it   appears,   along   the    Taubenstrasse 
and  over  the  tree-tops  of  Prinz  Carl's  garden,  while  along 

140 


PRINCESS    KISMAKCK 
1871 


1849]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

Friedrichstrasse  it  is  all  golden  and  cloudless;  the  air 
damp  and  mild,  too.  I  thought  of  you  and  of  Venice, 
and  this  only  I  wanted  to  write  to  you.  News  has  come 
to-day  that  Venice  has  surrendered  at  discretion;  so  we 
can  go  there  again,  and  again  see  the  tall  white  grenadiers. 
...  I  dined  with  ManteufTel  to-day,  yesterday  with  Prince 
Albert,  of  course,  day  before  yesterday  with  Arnim,  and 
then  I  took  a  ride  with  him  of  fourteen  miles  at  a  gallop — 
which  suited  me  well,  save  for  some  muscular  pains.  In 
the  Chamber  we  keep  on  doing  nothing  whatever;  in  the 
Upper  House  the  German  question,  happily,  has  been 
brought  forward  again  in  very  good  speeches  by  Gerlach, 
Bethmann,  and  Stahl,  and  yet  to-day  the  Camphausen 
proposition  was  adopted  with  all  the  votes  against  nine- 
teen. With  us,  too,  it  is  beginning  to  excite  men's  tempers. 
The  proposition  is  bad  in  its  tendency,  but  its  result  in- 
significant, even  if  it  goes  through  with  us,  as  is  to  be 
expected.  Tant  de  bruit  pour  une  omelette.  The  real 
decision  will  not  be  reached  in  our  Chambers,  but  in  diplo- 
macy and  on  the  battle-field,  and  all  that  we  prate  and 
resolve  about  it  has  no  more  value  than  the  moonshine 
observations  of  a  sentimental  youth  who  builds  air- 
castles  and  thinks  that  some  unexpected  event  will  make 
him  a  great  man.  Je  m'en  moque? — and  the  farce  often 
bores  me  nearly  to  death,  because  I  see  no  sensible  object 
in  this  straw-threshing.  Mother's  little  letter  gave  me 
great  pleasure,  because,  in  the  first  place,  I  see  that  you 
are  well,  and  then  because  she  has  her  old  joke  with  me, 
which  is  much  pleasanter  at  a  distance,  as  it  does  not  lead 
to  strife;  and  yet  how  I  should  like  to  quarrel  with  mammy 
once  more!  I  am  genuinely  homesick  to  be  quietly  with 
you  all  in  Schonhausen.  Have  you  received  the  ribbon 
for  Annchen? 

141 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK      [Aug. 

Tuesday. —  .  .  .  Hans  is  just  breakfasting,  and  eating 
up,  from  sheer  stinginess,  a  quarter  pound  of  butter  that 
he  bought  three  days  ago,  because  it  begins  to  get  old. 
Now  he  screams  that  my  tea  is  there,  too.  I  close  for  to- 
day, as  I  have  something  to  do  afterwards.  My  love  to 
FatherMotherAnnaAdelheidMarie  and  all  the  rest.  God's 
blessing  be  with  you  and  keep  you  well  and  merry. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

Berlin,  Friday. 
(Postmark,  August  31,  '49.) 

My  DARLING, — I  have  many  letters  to  write  to-day, 
it  is  true,  but  you  shall  have  the  first  of  them,  were  it  only 
to  set  your  mind  at  rest  about  my  being  able  to  be  angry 
with  you!  How  can  you  even  for  a  moment  think  seri- 
ously, my  heart,  that  I  might  have  taken  amiss  your 
solicitude?  On  the  contrary,  it  is  but  a  proof  how  dear 
I  am  to  you. 

I  shall  very  willingly  take  the  gardener,  but  that  cannot 
be  done  before  Easter,  as  Kahle  cannot  be  notified  sooner. 
I  will  write  to  Bellin,  however,  whether  he  has  not  by 
chance  already  given  him  notice,  and  I,  perhaps,  have 
simply  forgotten  it.  You  write  recently  about  several 
letters  from  mother:  up  to  the  present  time  I  have  only 
one  from  her,  the  very  little  one  last  week,  for  which  I  was 
very  thankful,  however.  Yours  to  Bucking  and  to  Malle 
I  have  delivered;  the  latter  wished  to  write  to  you  to-day. 
She  is  now  alone,  as  Oscar  is  giving  possession  of  Mitten- 
walde,  which,  thank  God,  he  has  leased  advantageously. 
I  received  your  dear  long  letter  day  before  yesterday  at 
bedtime,  after  that  rascal  Hans  had  been  with  me  the 
whole  afternoon  and  evening  at  Finkenstein's  and  in  the 
conservatives'  beer -house  without  saying  a  word  to  me 

142 


1849]       THE   LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK 

about  letters  having  come.  I  was  very  anxious  for  news  ; 
read  it  in  bed,  and  fell  asleep  greatly  relieved.  .  .  . 

My  matrimony  with  Hans  is  still  getting  along  very  well. 
He  is  now  quite  tolerant,  acknowledges  that  we  are  living 
together,  not  in  a  confederate  state,  but  in  a  confederacy 
of  states,  and  lets  me  sleep  till  ten  o'clock  in  certain  cir- 
cumstances. Our  host  and  hostess  in  adjoining  rooms 
have  four  children,  the  oldest  five  years,  and  the  smallest 
cries  at  night  just  as  much  as  our  pet,  next  to  my  bed- 
room ;  and  when  I  wake  up  at  night  I  often  fancy,  drunk 
with  sleep,  that  I  hear  my  daughter  and  am  with  you,  my 
angel.  It  is  a  right  good  thing  for  me  not  to  lose  the 
habit.  .  .  . 

A  thousand  thanks,  my  love,  for  the  purse,  and  to  Ann- 
chen,  too,  for  her  help;  I  am  saving  the  nice  red  one  now, 
which  will  get  dirty  otherwise.  Most  cordial  remembrances 
to  our  parents.  God  take  you  all  under  I  lis  gracious  pro- 
tection as  heretofore.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

Berlin,  Monday. 
(Postmark,  September  3,  '49.) 

MY  LOVE, — I  have  just  received  your  letter  with  much 
pleasure,  and  have  read  it  in  a  very  tiresome  committee- 
meeting,  held  to  consider  the  punishment  of  people  who 
want  to  corrupt  the  soldiers.  The  hair-splitting  lawyers 
and  the  vain,  flowery  speakers  so  enlarge  upon  the  simple 
question  that  I  can't  prevent  my  thoughts  from  wandering, 
but  give  them  a  free  course  to  you,  my  angel,  whither 
your  dear  little  letter  points  the  way.  In  the  first  place. 
I  am  very  thankful  and  glad  that  you  are  all  well;  but 
do  not  let  melancholy  dash  down  on  your  little  head.  It 
it  hard  for  both  of  us  that  we  have  been  constantly  sep- 
arated since  that  hateful  March,  but  remember,  too,  that 

143 


THE    LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK    [Sept. 

it  cannot  always  be  so  here  under  the  changeful  moon, 
and  especially  do  not  let  fear  of  next  December  master 
you.  All  of  us  thousand  million  human  beings  were  born 
of  woman,  you  know,  and  to  every  living  soul  clings  a 
mother's  pain  and  danger;  and  how  rare  are  misfortunes 
in  that  connection.  Every  time  they  do  occur  some  neg- 
lect may  be  pointed  out — some  folly,  or  a  natural  defect, 
which  you  have  not ;  and  we  will  take  care  of  you,  be  sure. 
That  you  stay  in  Reinfeld  altogether  is  out  of  the  ques- 
tion. I  must  set  myself  resolutely  against  any  such  un- 
wifely  proposal.  If  possible,  I  shall  look  for  a  chambre 
garnie  that  is  let  by  the  month,  as  it  seems  to  me  as  yet 
more  fitting  and  comfortable  for  you  to  meet  your  trial 
at  Schonhausen.  I  shall,  therefore,  take  leave  of  absence 
as  long  as  till  your  bad  days  are  over,  and  shall  stay  all 
that  time  at  Schonhausen.  .  .  . 

From  now  on  I  shall  number  my  letters,  and  begin  this 
with  I.  Do  the  same,  too;  then  we  shall  know  if  one  is 
lost.  Forgive  this  disconnected  letter;  I  have  to  be  al- 
ways quarrelling  with  the  lawyers  between  times,  and 
listening  with  half  an  ear  to  what  they  say.  I  regret 
very  much  that  Annchen  is  leaving  you.  She  is  such  a 
needful  corrective  for  your  disposition,  and  you  will  fall 
melancholy  much  oftener  when  she  is  gone.  Mammy 
scolds  me  in  her  letter  to  Hans  for  not  writing  often  enough. 
That  is  no  fair  reproach;  I  am  very  nice  about  writing, 
at  least  twice,  often  three  times  in  a  week,  and  now  I  still 
have  time ;  but  when  the  meetings  get  to  be  more  frequent 
I  am  afraid,  my  darling,  that  my  letters  will  become,  not 
indeed  less  frequent,  but  shorter.  It  is  disagreeable  when 
one  has  callers  the  first  thing  in  the  morning,  and  Hans 
is  a  great  magnet  for  them  —  mostly  petitioners,  often 
ladies,  who  sit  for  hours  in  front  of  my  clothes-press,  so 

144 


1849J     THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

that  I  cannot  get  my  socks.  I  am  often  dragged  in,  too. 
Then,  if  I  only  get  out-of-doors,  it  is  hard  for  me  to  come 
back  to  the  neighborhood  of  the  Taubenstrasse,  as  the 
attraction  of  luncheon  directs  my  steps  to  other  quarters. 
Then  I  come  home  at  11  or  12 ;  want  to  write  to  my  Nanne; 
then  Hans  sits  there  and  we  barter  our  day's  experiences, 
read  the  Kreuzzeitung,  and  go  to  sleep  with  the  firm 
resolve  to  write  next  morning,  when,  very  often,  another 
tiresome  colleague  is  on  hand,  before  I  have  had  my  sleep 
out.  But  do  not  allow  yourself  to  be  deterred  by  my  pos- 
sible laziness,  or  by  bad-tempered  scoffers,  from  writing 
to  me  as  often  and  as  fully  as  ever  you  like.  I  am  always 
so  much  pleased  by  every  report,  and  still  more  delighted  if 
the  letter  is  rather  thick.  .  .  . 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

(Postmark,  BERLIN,  September  8,  '49.) 
My  PET, — I  wrote  you  two  words  this  morning,  and  have 
just  time  to  add  two  more  this  evening.  You  will  see  in 
the  newspaper  what  sort  of  an  experience  I  had  this  morn- 
ing, as  I  wrote  you,  with  the  palaverer  Beckerath.  But 
I  had  my  morning  of  limitation  and  dulness,  on  account 
of  a  cold  and  severe  stoppage  in  the  head.  I  forgot, 
therefore,  the  best  of  what  I  wanted  to  reply  to  him.  It 
is  probably  in  to-day's  Zuschauer.  I  have  not  read  it 
yet.  About  the  fatted  calf  of  the  prodigal  son,  and  the 
story  of  Beckerath  and  the  Stein  proposition — it  was  in- 
credible how  I  could  forget  that,  beyond  measure  stupid 
and  irretrievable.  But  I  was  like  a  blockhead.  God 
would  not  have  it  so.  Opportunity,  if  not  seized  by  the 
forelock  once  for  all,  does  not  come  again.  .  .  .  Fare- 
well, my  beloved.  If  I  only  had  quarters  for  you  first, 
I  have  a  great  longing  to  complain  to  you  of  human  folly. 
K  145 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK     [Sept. 

Hans  sits  by  me,  and  is  working  over  his  speech  for  news- 
paper articles.     God  with  you,  my  heart. 

Your  V.  B. 


Berlin,  Sunday. 
(Postmarked  September  10,  '49.) 
DEAREST  NANNIE, — I  have  just  found  your  charming 
letter,  much  to  my  delight,  for  already  the  time  was  begin- 
ning to  hang  heavily  on  my  hands,  and  I  was  getting  jeal- 
ous of  Hans,  who  meanwhile  had  a  letter  from  mother  in 
which  she  is  again  hard  on  me ;  but  that  is  no  matter — she 
will  come  back  to  Schonhausen,  anyway.  I  am  physically 
well,  and  probably  God  will  not  allow  my  spirits  to  fail. 
Day  before  yesterday  I  wrote  you  two  letters,  Nos.  2  and  3  ; 
since  then  I  have  nothing  new  to  tell  you,  only  the  old  news 
that  I  love  you  very  much,  and  that,  therefore,  I  cannot  let 
you  remain  at  Reinfeld,  much  as  it  grieves  me  for  your  dear 
parents'  sake.  Le  vin  est  tire,  il  faut  le  boire — he  who  gives 
another  man  his  daughter  in  marriage  must  accustom  him- 
self, withal,  to  the  fact  that  she  is  married ;  to  have  your 
confinement  at  Reinfeld  would  be  a  semi-divorce ;  I  neither 
can,  nor  will,  be  so  long  without  my  Nan  ;  we  are  separated 
often  enough  as  it  is.  About  the  end  of  this  month  I  shall 
take  you  away  either  from  Reinfeld  or  from  Zimmerhausen, 
that  is  certain,  if  God  wills.  .  .  .  Early  this  morning  Malle 
and  I  heard  Biichsel ;  he  preached  about  the  ten  lepers,  of 
whom  only  one  showed  gratitude.  Very  pretty,  if  he  would 
only  prepare  himself  somewhat ;  he  alwa\\s  talks  out  of  his 
sleeve ;  but  his  sermon  made  me  deeply  realize  once  more 
how  ungrateful  we  are  towards  God.  However,  I  am  never 
satisfied  with  the  singing  of  the  Protestant  congregations  ; 
I  like  much  better  to  pray  silently,  while  good  church  music 
is  played  by  people  who  are  proficient  in  it,  and,  withal,  I 

146 


1849]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF    BISMARCK 

prefer  a  church  whose  interior  is  like  that  of  the  Tein  church, 
and  Morlach  masses,  with  white-robed  priests,  smoke  of 
tapers  and  incense  ;  that  is  more  solemn,  is  it  not,  angela  ? 
There  Biichsel  had  a  boy  choir,  who  sang  without  the  or- 
gan, a  hymn  inserted  in  the  service  ;  somewhat  out  of  tune, 
and  in  truly  democratic  Berlin  dialect ;  this  innovation  also 
disturbed  me.  .  .  .  Only  let  me  thank  you  once  again  most 
heartily  for  your  very  dear  letter,  and  do  write  soon,  my 
darling ;  it  is  always  for  me  the  "  sweet  familiar  note  in 
the  terrible  confusion  "  whenever  I  read  anything  from  you, 
and  then,  to  Hans's  terror,  I  have  an  inclination  to  get  out 
of  politics,  resign  my  mandate,  and  live  quietly  with  you 
at  Schonhausen ;  for  it  is  all  very  much  like  my  good  old 
father  at  Kniephof,  getting  men  and  hounds  to  search  the 
little  bushes,  and  on  every  such  occasion  waiting  with 
earnest  and  anxious  watchfulness  for  the  fox  to  appear, 
though  he  surely  knew  quite  as  well  as  I  that  there  was  no 
fox  there.  .  .  .  God  protect  you,  my  angel. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

Berlin,  September  11,  '49. 
(Postmarked  September  10.) 
I  wrote  yesterday,  my  Nannie,  but  as  it  costs  me  nothing, 
not  even  for  paper,  for  this  is  the  Chamber's,  I  do  want  to 
improve  a  wearisome  moment,  during  which  I  must  listen 
to  the  reading  of  a  confused  report  on  normal  prices,  to  send 
you  another  little  greeting ;  but  again  without  the  ribbon, 
for  I  am  going  to  buy  that  later  on.  This  morning  I  at- 
tended the  cavalry  manoeuvres,  on  a  very  pleasant  horse  of 
Fritz's  ;  rode  sharply,  swallowed  much  dust,  but,  neverthe- 
less, had  a  good  time ;  it  is  really  pretty,  these  brilliant, 
rapidly  moving  masses,  interspersed  with  the  clanking  of 
iron  and  the  bugle  signals.     The  Queen,  my  old  flame, 

147 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK     [Sept. 

greeted  me  so  cordially.  Having  driven  past  without  notic- 
ing me,  she  rose  and  turned  backward  over  the  bar  of  the 
carriage,  to  nod  to  me  thrice ;  that  lady  appreciates  a  Prus- 
sian heart.  To-morrow  I  shall  take  a  look  at  the  grand 
parade,  in  which  the  infantry  also  participates.  I  believe 
I  have  written  you  that  the  King  and  Leopold  Gerlach 
visited  the  Emperor  of  Austria  at  Teplitz,  where  there  was 
also  a  Russian  plenipotentiary.  The  proletariats  of  the 
Chamber  are  now  gradually  coming  to  see  that  on  that 
occasion  something  may  have  been  concocted  which  will 
cast  mildew  on  their  German  hot-house  flowers,  and  the 
fact  that  his  Majesty  has  conversed  with  the  ruler  of  all 
the  Croatians  frightens  them  somewhat.  Qui  vivra  verra. 
These  Frankfort  cabbage-heads  are  incorrigible ;  they  and 
their  phrases  are  like  the  old  liars  who  in  the  end  honestly 
believe  their  own  stories ;  and  the  impression  produced  on 
our  Chamber  by  such  ridiculous  things  as  they  say,  with- 
out any  regard  for  the  matter  in  hand,  or  for  common- 
sense,  will  be  sure  at  last  to  convince  people  generallv 
that  peasants  and  provincials  are  not  fit  to  make  laws 
and  conduct  European  politics.  Now  I  must  listen.  Fare- 
well, my  much-beloved  heart.  Love  to  my  daughter  and 
your  parents. 

Your  most  faithful  v.  B. 

BERLIN,  Wednesday. 
(Postmarked  September  12,  '49.) 
.  .  .  Yesterday  I  was  much  pleased  to  receive  mammy's 
little  letter ;  it  is  gratifjang  to  me  to  know  that  many  hearts 
outside  of  the  Chamber  are  in  accord  with  me,  particularly 
that  of  my  beloved  ;  in  the  Chamber  I  am  like  the  owl  among 
the  crows.  .  .  .  Just  now,  as  I  was  writing  this  and  not 
paying  attention,  I  voted  on  the  wrong  side,  very  stupidly, 

148 


1849]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

because  I  let  myself  be  guided  by  my  neighbor,  Dewitz- 
Wussoff,  who  is  usually  right,  instead  of  sticking  to  the 
much  safer  plan  of  always  voting  in  opposition  to  Auers- 
wald.  I  will  close,  so  as  not  to  let  it  happen  again. 
Farewell,  my  beloved  heart.  Don't  forget  that  you  must 
leave  in  about  two  weeks,  and  keep  well  for  my  sake,  my 
angel.  .  .  .  Farewell,  my  darling.  Hearty  love  to  the 
old  folks.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


(Postmarked  BERLIN,  September  14,  '49.) 
Just  now,  my  Nannie,  Friday  noon,  in  the  usual  tiresome 
Auerswald  Committee,  I  received  yours  of  Monday,  and 
your  letter  and  your  love  truly  strengthen  my  heart  in 
this  ocean  of  boredom.  What  Hans  told  Adelaide  about 
cholera  symptoms  was  simply  a  lie  to  make  himself  inter- 
esting ;  he  is  even  suffering  from  the  reverse  malady,  the 
gray  little  wight,  and  I  feel  like  a  fish  in  water,  but  not 
like  a  trout  in  the  Kamenz,*  rather  like  a  carp  in  its  mouldy 
hole,  bored  and  dull  in  spirit,  I  must  have  you  here,  my 
angel.  What  are  we  married  for?  And  the  middle  of  Oc- 
tober is  quite  out  of  the  question,  even  if  you  are  not  ill; 
by  that  time,  too,  it  would  be  too  cold  for  the  child  to  remain 
so  long  en  route,  and  if  you  don't  come  soon  I  shall  take  to 
gaming  and  drinking.  I  will  not  hear  of  your  awaiting 
your  confinement  there;  that  could  be  only  provided  we 
were  first  definitely  dissolved  or  adjourned,  and  provided 
I  could  remain  during  that  time  in  Rcinfeld;  for  other- 
wise we  are  half  divorced,  since  it  will  then  be  impossible 
to  return  home  before  May.  I  sympathize  most  deeply 
with  our  parents'  loneliness,  but  that  is  the  course  of  events 

*  A  river  near  Reinfeld. 
149 


THE  LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Sept. 

for  people  with  daughters;  it  is  none  of  my  doing,  but 
God's,  and  it  will  be  the  same  way  with  us,  too,  when  we 
are  old.  Kiss  mammy  for  me,  and  tell  her  I  will  not  do  it — 
most  certainly  not.  .  .  .  Best  love  to  father  and  mother, 
and  to  Adelaide.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


B.,  Sunday. 
(Postmarked  September  16,  '49.) 

MY  BELOVED  HEART, — Yesterday  during  the  session 
I  received  your  letter,  and  will  now  make  it  my  business  to 
answer  it. 

Do  not  write  so  late ;  do  not  sit  up  so  long ;  mammy  is 
quite  right  in  scolding  you  for  it.  I  must  do  so,  too,  re- 
luctant as  I  am. 

Whether  I  shall  really  myself  come  to  take  you  from 
Reinfeld  is  uncertain,  and  depends  on  what  matters  may 
be  before  the  Chamber  just  then.  If  they  are  important,  I 
cannot  get  away  for  so  long,  and  will  only  meet  you  at 
Zimmerhausen.  In  this  you  are  quite  right,  that  in  the 
autumn  air  you  must  make  short  daily  stages,  for  the 
child's  sake,  and  still  more  for  your  own ;  neither  of  you 
must  be  fatigued  or  ride  in  the  night  air.  Arrange 
the  stops  entirely  to  suit  yourself,  whether  I  come  or 
not.  If,  contrary  to  expectations,  I  should  not  be  able 
to  come  as  far  as  R.  myself,  father  will  surely  escort  you 
to  Coslin  or  thereabouts,  and  Moritz  come  for  you  there 
or  at  Coslin.  I  took  you  a  distance  of  about  three  hundred 
miles  to  give  our  parents  pleasure,  have  been  without 
3'ou  for  months,  so  father  will  not  refuse  me  this  knightly 
service  in  return,  in  case  I  do  not  come  nryself.  I  will  not 
have  you  travel  without  male  escort,  not  even  by  the  ex- 
press. .  . 

150 


1849]      THE  LOVE   LETTERS    OF    BISMARCK 

The  lonesomeness  of  our  dear  parents  is  affecting  to  me, 
also.  I  wrote  you  about  it  the  other  day,  and  can  well 
picture  it  to  myself  from  my  own  experience.  But  just 
to  make  it  easier  for  them,  we  have  made  the  journey  to 
them  with  the  child,  and  been  separated  from  each  other 
for  such  a  long  time;  it  cannot  continue  forever;  times 
will  come,  with  us,  too,  if  God  lets  us  live,  when  we  shall 
long  for  our  children,  but  we,  too,  shall  have,  I  hope,  the 
consolation  of  knowing  they  are  happy  and  in  God's  hand ; 
then  we  shall  yearn  to  be  with  them,  and  shall  love  our 
grandchildren,  and  be  glad  if  we  can  live  with  them  for  a 
few  weeks  in  the  year.  .  .  . 

Good-night,  my  beloved  heart.  May  God's  angels  shield 
you,  and  do  pray  for  me  that  I  remain  faithful  to  Him ;  I 
am  getting  to  be  so  worldly  and  so  bad-tempered  here,  when 
you  are  not  with  me.  Yesterday  Malle  and  I  were  in 
Friedrichshain,*  and  I  could  not  forgive  even  the  dead,  my 
heart  was  so  filled  with  bitterness  at  the  idolatry  practised 
about  the  graves  of  these  criminals,  where  every  inscrip- 
tion on  the  crosses  prates  about  "Freedom  and  Right,"  a 
mockery  to  God  and  men.  It  is  true,  I  say  to  myself,  that 
we  are  all  sinful,  and  God  alone  knows  how  He  may 
try  us,  and  Christ  our  Lord  died  for  yonder  rebels,  too; 
but  my  heart  is  full  of  resentment  when  I  see  what 
they  have  made  of  my  fatherland,  these  murderers,  at 
whose  graves  the  Berlin  citizen  worships  idolatrously 
to  this  day.  Farewell,  my  sweet  angel.  What  have 
you  to  do  with  such  things,  that  1  should  be  writing 
you  about  them?  Love  one  thousand  times  over  to 
mother  and  father. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

•Frederick  Cemetery. 
151 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK      [Sept. 

Berlin. 
(Postmarked  September  19,  '49.) 

My  DARLING, — I  am  again  sitting  on  this  tiresome 
commission,  and  write  to  you  at  the  risk  of  again  voting 
the  wrong  way.  The  weather  is  cold  and  rainy,  and  I  am 
worrying  lest  it  may  be  so  when  j7ou  start.  Shad  I  still 
see  that  you  get  some  warm  clothing  from  Schonhausen, 
or  have  you  everything  there — furs,  etc.  ?  The  child's  in- 
disposition will  surely  not  last  so  long,  and,  as  to  your  fear 
of  cholera,  I  have  never  yet  heard  that  little  children  at  the 
breast  are  attacked  by  it ;  goodness  knows  what  sort  of  a 
blood-and-thunder  stor\^  some  one  has  hoaxed  Louise  with 
— the  one  she  told  you,  wind-bag  that  she  is!  All  women 
are  invariably  happy  if  they  can  frighten  and  alarm  oth- 
ers ;  it  is  mere  envy  of  your  charming  child.  .  .  .  Whether 
I  can  come  to  R.  to  call  for  you  depends  entirely  upon 
what  matters  may  be  before  the  Chamber  towards  the  end 
of  the  month.  You  will  need  a  good  week  for  the  journey, 
including  one  or  two  days  of  rest ;  so  that  I  should  want 
at  least  ten  days'  leave,  and  I  cannot  yet  say  whether  I  can 
have  it.  We  shall  now  have  in  the  Chamber  the  press 
law  and  the  law  on  public  meetings ;  the  committee's 
recommendations  have  generally  a  decisive  influence  on 
the  conclusions  of  the  Chamber,  and  in  the  committee 
we  are  so  fixed  that  it  often  turns  on  one  vote.  If  papa 
cannot  accompany  you  to  Zimmerhausen,  then  I  must,  of 
course,  go  under  all  circumstances,  no  matter  what  may 
be  on  hand  here ;  for  you  shall  not  travel  alone,  my  darling. 
If  it  does  not  rain  afterwards,  or  not  hard,  I  .shall  buy 
the  waist  and  send  it  specially.  Give  M.  and  F.  my  best 
love;  I  reproach  myself  for  not  writing  to  our  dear  par- 
ents direct,  but  I  always  feel  as  though  I  were  depriving 
you  of  your  due,  and,  at  any  rate,  you  can  communicate 

152 


1849]      THE    LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

whatever  I  could  write  them.  May  God  protect  you! 
Last  night,  while  reading  the  28th  Psalm,  I  thought  of  you 
very  much,  praying  that  He  would  keep  and  preserve  you 
in  all  that  lies  before  you.     Farewell,  my  angel. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

Do  not  speak  slightingly  of  the  King;  we  are  both  at 
fault  in  that  respect,  and  should  not  speak  of  him  other- 
wise than  of  our  parents,  even  if  he  errs  and  has  faults,  for 
we  have  sworn  faithfulness  and  homage  to  his  flesh  and 
blood.  Once  more,  farewell,  my  darling.  God  preserve 
you !  Our  separation  will  soon  be  over,  and  in  the  course 
of  it  I  have  truly  felt  how  much  we  have  grown  together. 
Thanks  be  to  the  Lord  therefor,  and  may  He  long  postpone 
the  real  separation,  for  I  no  longer  know  what  the  world  is 
without  you. 

Berlin,  Friday. 
(Postmarked  September  21,  '49.) 

I  am  well,  my  darling  Nan,  but  I  am  cold,  for  in  the 
morning  the  rooms  are  already  so  cliilly  that  I  long  very 
much  for  the  Schonhausen  fireplaces,  and  matters  in 
the  Chamber  are  so  tedious  that  I  often  have  serious 
thoughts  of  resigning  my  commission.  In  the  ministry 
there  is  again  a  shameful  measure  preparing;  they  now 
want  to  submit  a  real  property  tax  bill,  according  to 
which  those  estates  which  are  not  manors  are  to  be  indem- 
nified, while  the  manors  must  suffer,  as  the  number  of 
nobles  is  not  dangerous.  Only  if  encumbered  for  more 
than  two-thirds  of  their  value,  they  arc  to  be  assisted  by 
loans.  What  good  will  a  loan  do  a  bankrupt,  who  has  it 
to  repay?  It  is  a  mixture  of  cowardice  and  shameless  in- 
justice such  as  I  could  not  have  expected.     Yesterday  we 

153 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK     [Sept. 

had  soft,  warm  autumn  weather,  and  I  took  a  long  walk 
in  the  Thiergarten,  by  the  same  solitary  paths  which  we 
used  to  traverse  together;  I  sat,  too,  on  our  bench  near 
the  swan-pond;  the  young  swans  which  were  then  still  in 
their  eggs  on  the  little  island  were  now  swimming  viva- 
ciously about,  fat,  gray,  and  blase,  among  the  dirty  ducks, 
and  the  old  ones  sleepily  laid  their  heads  on  their  backs. 
The  handsome  large  maple  standing  near  the  bridge  has 
already  leaves  of  a  dark-red  color;  I  wished  to  send  you 
one  of  them,  but  in  my  pocket  it  has  become  so  hard  that  it 
crumbles  away;  the  gold-fish  pond  is  almost  dried  up; 
the  lindens,  the  black  alders,  and  other  delicate  things  be- 
strew the  paths  with  their  yellow,  rustling  foliage,  and  the 
round  chestnut-burrs  exhibit  a  medley  of  all  shades  of 
sombre  and  attractive  fall  coloring.  The  promenade,  with 
its  morning  fogs  among  the  trees,  reminded  me  vividly  of 
Kniephof,  the  woodcock-hunt,  the  line  of  springes,  and  how 
everything  was  so  green  and  fresh  when  I  used  to  walk 
there  with  you,  my  darling.  .  .  .  On  the  ist  of  October  I 
shall  probably  have  to  attend  the  celebration  of  the  nine- 
hundredth anniversary  of  the  founding  of  the  cathedral 
there,  to  which  the  King  is  coming.  For  the  2d  and  the 
following  days  I  have  been  invited  to  go  on  a  royal  hunt 
to  the  Falkenstein.  I  should  be  very  glad  to  shoot  a  deer 
in  those  woods  which  we  and  Mary  saw  illuminated  by  the 
moon  on  that  evening;  but  even  if  matters  in  the  Cham- 
ber should  not  prevent,  I  am  at  a  loss  how  to  reconcile  that 
with  our  journey,  and  I  feel  as  though  I  should  steal  my 
days  from  you  by  going.  ...  I  am  now  going  out  to  buy  a 
waist,  to  call  on  Rauch,  and  then  again  to  the  Thiergarten. 
All  love  to  father  and  mother,  and  may  God  preserve  you 
in  the  future  as  hitherto,  my  dearest. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

154 


1849]      THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

BERLIN,  September  25,  '49. 
DEAREST  Nan, — .  .  .  I  shall  now,  as  you  wish,  take  the 
Behrenstrasse  apartment.  Bellin  writes  me  in  great  un- 
happiness  about  our  not  wishing  to  be  at  Schonhausen 
during  the  winter.  It  would  be  more  agreeable  to  me, 
too,  but  it  will  be  quite  impossible ;  if  you  were  there,  and 
I  were  here,  it  would  mean  my  travelling  continually  back 
and  forth,  and  when  Christmas-time  comes  you  cannot  go 
through  it  without  me,  nor  shall  you ;  and  who  knows  but 
just  then  1  may  be  needed  here,  if  we  remain  in  session  so 
long.  It  must,  therefore,  follow  that  our  pet  will  not  be 
born  behind  the  red  curtain,  much  as  1  regret  it,  if  it  is  to 
be  a  boy,  and  no  Schonhauser.  Farewell,  my  beloved 
angel.  A  thousand  thanks  for  your  precious  letters,  and 
write  me  at  once,  and  at  more  length  than  1  do;  to-day  I 
am  too  full  of  politics.  .  .  . 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

BERLIN,  September  27,  49. 
MY  DARLING, — I  see  it  is  much  easier  to  get  rid  of  one's 
wife  than  to  get  her  back  again ;  I  counted  on  having  j^ou 
here  by  the  end  of  this  month,  and  now  it  is  proposed  to 
wait  till  October  20th.  That  will  not  do,  my  sweetheart. 
.  .  .  You  are  now  perfectly  well ;  the  weather  is  fine,  and  the 
travelling  season  is  just  iibout  to  close  its  gate,  so  we  must 
not  neglect  to  avail  ourselves  of  this  favorable  state  of 
affairs,  and  1  wish  you  would  not  wait  until  the  7th  or  8th. 
If  father  will  have  the  kindness  to  escort  you  as  far  as  Cos- 
lin,  and  see  you  safe  into  the  carriage  there,  you  will  travel 
alone  only  to  Zimmerhausen,  where  I  shall  meet  you.  For 
this  purpose,  write  me  the  precise  day  of  your  leaving 
Redd.,  and  your  arrival.  .  .  .  Many  thanks  for  your  kind 
little  letter ;  we  agree  in  everything  except  the  plan  of  post- 
155 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK       [Oct. 

ponement.  You  are  so  good  about  writing  that  I  shall 
fondle  3'ou  very  much  for  it  when  I  hold  you  once  more 
in  my  arms.  I  shall  treat  myself  to-day  to  a  bottle  of 
champagne  on  the  score  of  father's  health.  Nowadays 
I  am  over  head  and  ears  in  work — so  many  minor  matters 
to  attend  to  that  I  am  quite  harassed.  .  .  . 

Your  most  faithful         v.  B. 

Berlin,  Friday. 
(Postmarked  September  28,  '49.) 
My  DEAR, — I  have  taken  the  apartment  in  the  Behren- 
strasse;  that  on  the  Thiergarten  is  too  uncomfortable  for 
you  in  going  in  and  out  in  wet  winter  weather.  ...  It  is 
better  that  I  should  procure  and  arrange  everything  for  you 
in  advance ;  then  you  need  only  alight  here  and  sink  into 
my  open  arms  and  on  a  ready  sofa ;  that  would  be  so  pretty ; 
only  come  soon,  my  beloved  angel;  to-day  the  weather  is 
already  bitter  cold,  and  write  me  exactly  when  I  can  come 
for  you  to  Z.  Do  not  be  offended,  either,  at  my  note 
of  yesterday,  and  do  not  think  that  you  have  offended  me, 
but  please  come  quickly.  I  am  not  going  to  the  Harz. 
Much  love.        In  great  haste. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

Over  the  blue  mountain, 
Over  the  white  sea-foam. 
Come,  thou  beloved  one, 
Come  to  thy  lonely  home. 

— Old  Song. 

SCHONHAUSEN,  October  2,   '49. 
MY  BELOVED   NAN, — I   am   sitting   in   our   quiet   old 
Schonhausen,   where  I  am  quite  comfortable,   after  the 
Berlin  hubbub,  and  I  should  like  to  stay  here  a  week,  if  the 

156 


1849]      THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

old  Chamber  allowed.  This  morning  Odin  awakened  me, 
and  then  retreated  as  usual  between  the  beds;  then  the 
Bellins  groaned  very  much  about  the  bad  qualities  of  the 
tenant,  with  whom  they  lead  a  cat-and-dog  life,  and  1  dis- 
cussed with  her,  pro  and  con,  all  that  is  to  be  sent  to  Berlin. 
The  garden  is  still  quite  green  for  the  fall  season,  but  the 
paths  are  overgrown  with  grass,  and  our  little  island  is  so 
dwarfed  and  wet  that  I  could  not  get  on  to  it;  it  rains 
without  let-up.  The  little  alderman,  of  course,  sat  with  me 
all  the  afternoon,  otherwise  I  should  have  written  you  sooner 
and  more  at  length.  1  want  to  leave  again  to-morrow  morn- 
ing, and  I  have  still  several  business  letters  to  write.  Yes- 
terday, with  the  King,  1  celebrated  the  nine-hundredth 
anniversary  of  the  Brandenburg  Cathedral,  after  it  had 
been  thoroughly  exorcised  and  the  bad  national  spirits 
driven  out.  The  entire  royal  family  was  there,  except  the 
Princess  of  Babelsberg,  who  is  at  Weimar ;  also  Branden- 
burg, Manteuffel,  Wrangel,  Voss,  and  many  high  digni- 
taries, among  them  myself,  quite  courageously  at  the  front 
in  church,  next  to  the  princesses.  At  dinner  his  Majesty 
said  many  pretty  things  about  his  electoral  and  capital 
city  of  Brandenburg,  and  was  also  very  friendly  to  me. 
I  introduced  to  the  Queen  a  number  of  village  mayors, 
who  had  been  of  particular  service  in  my  election;  they 
were  so  much  moved  by  it  that  afterwards  they  embraced 
me  with  tears  in  their  eyes.  Finally,  the  King  became 
very  angry  at  Patow,  who  had  made  his  appearance  as 
President-in-chief,  and  to  whom  he  had  not  spoken  till 
then.  "Sir,"  said  he,  in  a  very  loud  and  angry  voice, 
"if  you  belong  to  the  Right,  then  vote  with  the  Right;  if 

you  belong  to  the  Left,  vote,  in  the name,  with  the 

Left ;  but  1  require  of  my  servants  that  they  stand  by  me,  do 

you  understand?"     Breathless  silence,  and  P looked 

157 


THE    LOVE    LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Oct. 

like  a  duck  in  a  thunder-storm.  ...  It  is  right  good  that  I 
did  not  take  the  apartment  on  the  Thiergarten ;  aside  from 
the  wet  feet  which  my  angel  would  get  in  dirty  and  damp 
weather,  the  house  has  been  broken  into  seven  times  dur- 
ing the  couple  of  years  of  its  existence,  a  fact  of  which  sym- 
pathizing souls  would  surely  have  informed  you ;  and  if  on 
some  long  winter  evening  1  were  not  at  home,  you  and  the 
two  girls  and  baby  would  have  shuddered  mightily  over  it. 
The  little  old  clock  is  just  clearing  its  throat  to  strike 
seven ;  I  must  to  my  work.  Farewell,  dearest ;  and,  above 
all  things,  come-mmmm  quickly — in  a  hurry,  swiftly,  in- 
stantly —  to  your  dear  little  husbandkin.  Most  hearty 
greetings  to  our  parents.       Your  most  faithful        V.  B. 


Berlin,  7. 
(Postmarked  October  8,  '49.) 

To  Frau  von  Bismarck,  Zimmerhausen,  near  Plathe,  in 
Pomerania : 
MOST  BELOVED  NAN, — It  is  so  chilly  in  my  little  room, 
and  I  shall  not  get  any  wood  to  heat  it  till  to-morrow,  that 
owing  to  cold  feet  I  am  writing  you  only  three  words, 
after  having  at  last  obtained  possession,  to-day,  of  writing 
materials.  I  am  waiting  anxiously  for  the  things  from 
Schonhausen.  Bellin  began  packing  on  Saturda3^,  and 
nothing  has  yet  arrived ;  and  1  wanted  to  have  everything 
nicely  and  comfortably  arranged  for  you  before  I  leave,  so 
that  you  may  not  enter  cold,  dreary  lodgings  here,  I  was 
long  in  doubt  whether  I  should  not  surprise  you  in  Coslin 
by  night,  but  in  that  case  our  things  would  probably  still 
be  standing  at  the  railway  station  on  your  arrival,  and  to- 
morrow we  have  a  very  decisive  committee  conference  on 
the  subject  of  the  Press  Act.     Day  after  to-morrow  there 

158 


1849]      THE  LOVE   LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK 

is  a  session  on  section  105,  one  of  the  main  points  in  the 
Constitution ;  I  cannot  be  absent  from  that.  Therefore,  un- 
less there  is  a  change,  I  can  only  come  to  Z.  on  Wednes- 
day, and  you  will  remain  there  one  day  longer,  which 
will  hardly  be  disagreeable  to  you.  It  is  too  bad  1  could 
not  call  for  you  this  week;  things  would  then  have  been 
much  better  so  far  as  the  Chamber  is  concerned,  but  in  that 
case  the  whole  packing  business  at  Schonhausen  should 
have  been  arranged  sooner.  So  there  are  still  three  times 
twenty-four  hours ;  then  I  shall  again  have  my  little  va- 
grant in  my  arms,  and  then  I  will  not  let  you  go  again  so 
soon,  not  for  ten  years ;  the  old  folks  may  say  what  they 
please;  to  be  without  a  wife  is  to  lead  a  dog's  life.  Kinkel 
is  to  go  to  the  penitentiary  at  Naugard,  so  Bernhard  will 
be  glad.  Farewell,  my  darling.  I  must  go  out.  My 
fingers  are  getting  cramped  here.  Greet  all  the  Zimmer- 
hausners.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


BERLIN,  November  4,  1849. 
To  Frau  von  Puttkamer ,  Reinfeld,  near  Zuckers  : 

DEAR  MOTHER,— It  is  true  I  have  strongly  intrenched, 
behind  the  paper  ramparts  of  Chamber  affairs,  my  laziness 
in  writing,  but  your  smoked  meat  has  victoriously  forced 
its  way  into  this  fortress ;  it  is,  or  rather  it  was,  too  good 
for  this  world ;  I  have,  therefore,  jointly  with  Johanna  and 
Malvinia,  who  breakfasted  daily  on  it  while  it  lasted,  taken 
care  that  it  should  not  suffer  very  long.  ...  If,  as  your 
letter  of  yesterday  indicates,  you  are  afraid  that  Johanna 
takes  a  bloodthirsty  delight  in  the  Austrian  court-martial, 
you  may  be  easy  on  that  score.  She  is  so  ignorant  of  public 
affairs  that  I  had  to  tell  her,  and  that  only  after  your  let- 
ter came,  that  a  number  of  rebels  had  been  hanged  in  I  Iun- 

159 


THE  LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Nov. 

gary.  But  3^011,  my  dear  mammy,  are  haunted  by  Rous- 
seau's educational  principles,  which  brought  Louis  XVI. 
to  such  a  pass  that  he  who  had  shrunk  from  bringing  about 
the  just  death  of  a  single  human  being  became  guilty  of 
the  destruction  of  millions.  You  have  so  much  compassion 
on  the  family  (if  one  there  be)  of  Bathyany;  have  you 
none,  then,  for  the  many  thousands  of  innocent  people 
whose  wives  and  children  have  become  widows  and  orphans 
through  the  insane  ambition  or  the  conceit  with  which  these 
rebels,  like  Carl  Moor,  resolve  to  make  the  world  happy 
after  their  fashion?  Can  the  execution  of  one  human  being 
give  satisfaction,  even  to  mere  earthly  justice,  for  the  burned 
cities,  the  devastated  provinces,  the  murdered  inhabitants, 
whose  blood  cries  out  to  the  Emperor  of  Austria  that  God 
has  intrusted  him  with  the  sword  of  supremacy?  Ef- 
feminate pity  for  the  bodily  pains  of  the  criminal  is  respon- 
sible for  most  of  the  bloodshed  during  the  last  sixty  years. 
You  fear  that  the  Austrian  government  is  pointing  out 
the  way  to  the  Democrats,  but  how  is  it  possible  to  put  on 
the  same  level  a  rightful  authority  and  a  party  of  high 
treason?  The  former  oives  to  the  subjects  whom  God  has 
intrusted  to  it  the  protection  of  its  sword  against  male- 
factors ;  but  the  rebels  continue  to  be  murderers  and  liars, 
and  if  they  violently  seize  that  sword,  they  may  kill,  but 
may  not  judge.  1  was  just  now  reading  to  Johanna 
Luther's  sermon  on  Matthew  xviii.  21,  etc. ;  it  is  full  of 
love  and  forgiveness,  but  at  the  beginning  old  Luther  ex- 
plicitly says,  "Earthly  governments  are  not  to  forgive, 
but  to  punish,  wrongs."  Excuse  my  writing  you  on  this 
at  such  length,  but  I  feel  that  it  touches  me  personally, 
for  if  I  should  ever  be  called  upon  to  exercise  governmental 
authority,  I  should  not  like  Johanna  to  look  on  me  with  the 
same  eyes  as  you  do  on  Haynau.  .  .  .  The  struggle  with  this 

160 


1849]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK 

gang  of  Democrats  was,  after  all,  more  interesting  in  the 
last  Chamber  than  it  is  now  with  these  insipid  Constitution- 
alists, who  preach  the  same  principles  as  the  others  did, 
but  have  not  the  courage  to  carry  them  out  to  the  end ;  and 
they  sugar  over  their  poison  with  hypocritical  patriotism, 
while  the  kernel  always  remains  egotism  and  lust  of  power, 
in  behalf  of  themselves  and  of  their  "intelligent  citizens." 
We  are  living  here  in  very  homelike,  quiet  fashion,  eating 
with  Hans  from  a  tray  over  a  spirit-lamp,  struggling  with 
the  discomfort  of  calls  to  be  made  and  received;  and  our 
chief  affliction,  at  least  Johanna's,  is  the  little  cry-baby, 
who  for  several  days  now  has  been  very  good  in  the  day- 
time, but  at  night  will  not  yield  his  right  to  try  the  patience 
of  a  mother's  love.  Just  now  Johanna  is  taking  a  nap  on 
the  sofa,  to  recoup  what  she  lost  during  the  night.  All  this 
often  wears  her  down  very  much,  but  I  do  not  know  how  to 
help  this,  much  as  it  occupies  my  thoughts,  for  in  another 
room  she  gets  no  sleep  at  all,  because  her  fancy,  with  all 
sorts  of  bugbears,  abides  with  the  child.  But  God  will 
surely  give  her  strength  to  carry  through  that  which  is  in 
the  very  nature  of  a  mother's  life.  I  close,  dear  mother, 
because  I  must  go  out,  only  I  still  add  hearty  love  a  thou- 
sand times  over  to  our  dad,  and  also  to  the  kindly,  if  some- 
what constitutional,  people  of  Reddentin,  not  forgetting 
Adelaide.     Farewell. 

Your  faithful  son,  VON  BISMARCK. 


Erfurt,  Tuesday. 
(Postmarked  April  9,  '50.) 

Frau  von  Bismarck,  Schonhausen,  near  Jerichow : 

MY  BELOVED  NAN,—.  .  .  I  cannot  yet  rid  myself  of  the 
thought  of  the  pains  you  must  have  suffered  under  the 
L  161 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Apr. 

hand  of  the  old  tooth-breaker,  and  am  anxious  lest  you 
may  be  enduring  them  still;  I  hope  I  shall  soon  receive 
news  of  the  contrary,  my  darling.  With  the  disorganized 
postal  service,  you  will  probably  not  receive  this  letter  until 
day  after  to-morrow,  your  birthday,  and  I  have  been  much 
in  doubt  whether  I  should  not  again  utilize  the  two  free 
days  to  come  myself ;  but  besides  the  duties  of  secretary,  J 
must  now  prepare  myself  in  earnest,  if  I  am  not  to  be  dis- 
graced on  Friday;  for  I  cannot  very  well  keep  silent  in 
the  position  in  which  I  now  find  myself,  for  it  would  be  con- 
strued on  all  sides  as  a  cowardly  backdown.  Gerlach  and 
Stahl  were  extremely  irritated  by  a  remark  of  mine  to  the 
effect  that  I  would  leave  the  honor  of  the  struggle  to  them 
alone;  and  they  rightly  pointed  out  to  me  the  duty  which, 
before  God  and  man,  I  had  undertaken  in  accepting  my 
seat.  Therefore,  I  shall  remain  here ;  I  could  not  stay  with 
you,  at  any  rate,  for  more  than  twenty-four  hours.  That 
I  wish  you  happiness  is,  perhaps,  a  superfluous  formality ; 
I  might  just  as  well  wish  it  to  myself ;  but  I  will  thank  you, 
with  my  whole  heart,  for  all  your  love  and  faithfulness, 
with  which  you  have  brought  happiness  and  quiet  into  this 
life  of  mine,  before  so  grievously  lacking  in  both ;  for  your 
meekness  and  patience,  with  which  you  help  me  to  endure 
the  trifling  sorrows  that  God's  goodness  sends  us,  as  well 
as  the  more  serious  ones  which  my  own  failings  and  sharp 
corners,  and  the  egotism  which  is  stronger  in  us  men  than 
in  your  sex,  bring  upon  us.  I  will  celebrate  your  birthday 
by  imploring  God,  more  earnestly  than  on  other  days,  to 
keep  you  in  life  and  good  health,  to  grant  me  peace  and 
humility,  and  to  let  me  prove  always,  not  merely  by  my 
feelings,  but  by  my  deeds  as  well,  with  unchangeable  gen- 
tleness and  solicitude,  the  love  and  faithfulness  which  I 
rightly  owe  to  you ;  and  then  I  hope,  too,  that  God  will  be 

162 


1850]      THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

kind  to  us,  and  never  deprive  us  of  the  great  merc\T  which, 
through  and  in  our  married  life,  He  has  vouchsafed,  and 
which  is  daily  the  principal  subject  of  my  thanks ;  for  that 
do  you  also  implore  Him,  often  and  earnestly.  Hearty 
love  to  mother.  Beg  her  again,  in  my  name,  for  forgive- 
ness of  all  my  misdemeanors,  and  tell  her  "quite  frankly" 
that  I,  nevertheless,  love  her  very  much. 

Here  is  a  caller.     Good-bye,  dearest  of  all,  and  may  the 
Lord  grant  you  a  happy  and  healthful  birthday. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Erfurt,  April  13,  '50. 

MY  DARLING, — For  two  days  a  touch  of  homesickness, 
driving  me  towards  you  at  least  by  letter,  has  been  strug- 
gling in  me  with  the  dreary  restlessness  incident  to  pre- 
paring a  speech  on  the  principal  question  which  we  are 
now  treating.  But  as  it  is  gradually  growing  unlikely 
that  1  shall  get  the  floor,  since  out  of  sixty-two  speakers  I 
drew  lot  No.  44,  and  could  only  get  an  exchange  to  No.  26, 
1  will,  at  the  risk  of  indigestion,  swallow  my  fine  phrases, 
and  talk  down  to  the  tenor  of  ordinary  mortals.  1  have 
received  your  two  letters,  my  angel,  and  I  thank  God  that 
you  are  well,  only  I  am  still  furious  at  the  dentist.   .  .  . 

So  I  did  not  think  of  you  on  the  nth?  The  weather  was 
delightful,  and  I  took  a  long  walk  in  the  woods  for  three 
hours,  alone  with  God  and  my  thoughts  of  you,  and  of  all 
the  good  things  He  has  given  us.  Then  I  drank  your 
health,  with  Hans,  in  champagne.  God  be  with  you  and 
our  loved  ones.  I  am  busy;  things  are  going  badly  for 
the  Gotha  people;  the  government  is  intrenching  itself 
against  them.  Farewell,  my  most  precious,  my  darling. 
Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

163 


THE  LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK      [Apr. 

Erfurt,  April  19,  '50. 
MY  BELOVED  NAN,— It  is  bad  to  live  in  such  a  small 
town,  with  three  hundred  acquaintances.  One  is  never 
sure  of  his  life  a  single  moment,  for  calls.  An  hour  ago  I 
got  rid  of  the  last  bores ;  then,  during  supper,  1  walked  up 
and  down  in  my  room,  and  annihilated  almost  the  whole 
fat  sausage,  which  is  very  delicious,  drank  a  stone  mug  of 
beer  from  the  Erfurt  "Felsenkeller,"  and  now,  while  writ- 
ing, I  am  eating  the  second  little  box  of  marchpane,  which 
was,  perhaps,  intended  for  Hans,  who  has  not  got  any  of 
the  sausage,  even ;  in  its  place  I  will  leave  him  the  little 
ham.  During  the  last  few  days  we  have  been  valiantly 
quarrelling  in  Parliament;  but  neither  at  the  beginning 
nor  later  could  I  obtain  the  floor  for  my  principal  speech; 
but  I  relieved  myself  of  some  gall  in  minor  skirmishes.  .  .  . 
I  am  sick  and  tired  of  life  here;  attending  the  sitting 
early  in  the  morning,  thence  directly  to  a  screaming  and 
chattering  table  d'hote,  then  for  coffee  to  the  Steiger,  a  most 
charming  little  mountain,  a  mile  from  the  city,  where  one 
can  walk  about  through  the  pleasantest  hours  of  the  day, 
with  a  pretty  view  of  Erfurt  and  the  Thuringian  woods; 
under  magnificent  oaks,  among  the  little  light-green  leaves 
of  prickles  and  horn-beam;  from  there  to  the  abominable 
party  caucus,  which  has  never  yet  made  me  any  the  wiser, 
so  that  one  does  not  get  home  all  day.  If  I  do  not  attend 
the  caucus  meetings,  they  all  rail  at  me,  for  each  one 
grudges  the  others  any  escape  from  the  tedium.  .  .  .  Good 
bye,  my  heart.  May  God's  hand  be  over  you  and  the  chil- 
dren, and  protect  you  from  sickness  and  worry,  but  par- 
ticularly you,  the  apple  of  my  eye,  whom  Roder  envies  me 
daily  in  the  promenade,  when  the  sunset  makes  him  sen- 
timental, and  he  wishes  he  had  such  a  "  good,  dear,  devout 
wife."     For  the  rest,  my  allowance  suffices  for  my  needs 

164 


i85o]      THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

here,  and  I  shall  still  bring  treasures  home.  Good-night, 
my  darling.  Many  thanks  for  your  faithful  letter,  and 
write  me  again  at  once;  I  am  always  anxious  for  news. 
Hans  has  just  come  in,  and  sends  you  sleepy  greetings, 
after  sitting  on  the  lounge  for  hardly  ten  seconds.  Once 
more,  good-night,  my  Nan. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Erfurt,  April  23,  '50. 
MY  DARLING, —  . .  .  We  shall  probably  be  released  a  week 
from  to-day,  and  then  we  have  before  us  a  quiet  Schon- 
hausen  summer,  as  the  cry  of  war  is  also  dying.  It  is  really 
going  to  be  summer  again,  and  on  a  very  long  walk,  from 
which  I  am  returning  home  dead  tired,  1  took  much  pleasure 
in  the  small  green  leaves  of  the  hazel  and  white  beech,  and 
heard  the  cuckoo,  who  told  me  that  we  shall  live  together  for 
eleven  years  more ;  let  us  hope  longer  still.  My  hunt  was 
extraordinary;  charming  wild  pine- woods  on  the  ride  out, 
sky-high,  as  in  the  Erzgebirge;  then,  on  the  other  side, 
steep  valleys,  like  the  Selke,  only  the  hills  were  much  high- 
er, with  beeches  and  oaks.  The  night  before  starting  I 
had  slept  but  four  hours  ;  then  went  to  bed  at  nine  o'clock 
in  Schleusingen,  on  the  south  side  of  the  Thuringian  wood  ; 
arose  at  midnight;  that  evening  1  had  eaten  freely  of  the 
trout  and  had  drunk  weak  beer  with  them ;  at  one  o'clock 
we  rode  to  a  forge  in  the  mountains,  where  ghostlike  people 
poked  the  fire;  then  we  climbed,  without  stopping,  until 
three  o'clock,  in  pouring  rain,  1  wearing  a  hca\y  overcoat; 
so  steep  that  I  had  to  help  myself  with  my  hands  ;  so  dark 
in  the  fir  thickets  that  I  could  touch  the  huntsman  ahead 
of  me  with  my  hand,  but  could  not  see  him.  Then,  too,  we 
were  told  there  is  a  precipice  on  the  right,  and  the  torrent 

165 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Apr. 

sent  up  its  roar  from  the  purple  depths  below;  or  that 
there  is  a  pool  on  the  left,  and  the  path  was  slippery. 
1  had  to  halt  three  times;  repeatedly  1  almost  fainted 
from  weakness,  lay  down  on  the  dripping  heath,  and 
let  the  rain  pour  on  me.  But  1  was  firmly  resolved  to 
see  the  grouse ;  and  1  did  see  several,  but  could  not  shoot 
them,  for  reasons  which  one  must  be  a  huntsman  to 
understand.  My  companion  shot  one,  and,  if  I  had  been 
well,  I  might  have  shot  two;  1  was  too  exhausted.  After 
three  it  cleared  and  became  wonderfully  fine,  the  horn- 
owl  gave  place  to  the  thrush,  and  at  sunrise  the  bird- 
chorus  became  deafening ;  the  wood-pigeons  singing  bass, 
withal.  At  five  1  was  down  again,  and,  as  it  began  to 
pour  once  more,  I  abandoned  further  attempts,  returned 
hither,  ate  very  heartily,  after  a  twenty-four  hours'  fast, 
and  drank  two  glasses  of  champagne,  then  slept  for  four- 
teen hours,  until  yesterday  at  one  o'clock,  noon,  and  now 
I  am  feeling  much  better  than  before  the  excursion,  and 
am  glad  of  the  good  constitution  which  God  has  given  me,  to 
get  through  it  all.  ...  I  send  you  lots  of  love,  my  heart, 
and  will  piously  celebrate  fast-day  to-morrow  at  the  Wermel 
church.  God  preserve  you.  Love  to  mother  and  Melissa. 
Excuse  my  haste.  I  had  really  left  myself  an  hour  of  leis- 
ure, but  that  little  old  Mass  has  his  fourteenth  child,  just 
born.  The  only  son  of  our  poor  Eglof stein,  of  Arklitten, 
twenty -three -year -old  lieutenant  of  cuirassiers,  has  shot 
himself  in  hypochondria;  I  pity  the  father  extremely,  a 
devout,  honorable  man.        Your  most  faithful         V.  B. 


Erfurt,  Friday. 
(Postmarked  April  27,  '50.) 
MY  DARLING, — Hans  has  just  gone  out  to  a  reception 
in  a  white  vest  and  cravat,  the  same  as  every  evening ;  it 

166 


1850]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

is  just  the  contrary  from  what  it  was  in  Berlin;  he  is  the 
society-hunter.  I  stay  properly  at  home,  fix  myself  tea  and 
lapwings'  eggs,  which  1  duly  received  to-day,  unbroken,  all 
nicely  packed ;  a  thousand  thanks  for  them.  .  .  .  To-day 
I  was  again  provoked  that  1  did  not  get  the  floor ;  1  should 
gladly  have  aimed  a  blow  at  the  babbler  Beseler,  who,  with 
perfidious  garblings,  pounced  upon  our  beloved  Stahl,  who 
is  truly  casting  his  pearls  before  swine  here.  He  still  has 
pearls  left  for  me,  but,  nevertheless,  the  time  when  our 
paths  diverge  will  probably  come  with  the  years,  if  we  live 
to  see  it.  Roder*  sends  his  regards  again,  and  word  that 
his  companionship  exerts  on  me  a  highly  beneficial  influ- 
ence, which  is  daily  increasing.  .  .  .  How  I  thank  God  that 
you  are  all  well.  I  am  always  anxious  on  that  score,  and 
on  opening  a  letter  that  is  always  the  first  thing  1  look  for. 
As  to  vaccination  against  small-pox,  1  am  more  in  favor 
of  it  than  opposed  to  it;  if,  after  Busch's  answer,  you  are 
still  in  doubt,  send  for  Dr.  Biinger,  of  Stendal ;  he  is  a  good 
physician.  .  .  .  Pray  for  me,  as  I  do  for  you.  Hearty 
greetings  to  Mam.  and  Mel.     Your  most  faithful     V.  B. 

Kulz,  Sept.  23,  '50. 
To  Fran  von  Bismarck,  Reinjeld,  near  Zuckers : 

MY  BELOVED  NAN, — Father  will  have  told  you  how  we 
almost  missed  the  mail-coach.  ...  A  terrible  rain-storm 
at  Coslin ;  1  had  an  abominable  seat  in  the  coach,  with  a 
bombardier  and  a  Jew  smelling  of  wet  furs;  a  wretched 
dinner;  the  white  pillow  was  my  only  consolation  for  the 
badly  covered  iron  bars  against  which  1  rested.  William 
Loper  is  lying  ill  of  typhus,  with  little  hope,  at  Colberg, 
and  his  wife,  a  much-desired  goldfish  of  three  hundred 
thousand,  is  also  deadly  miserable.     Of  what  good  is  the 

*  At  that  time  a  deputy,  subsequently  introducteur  des  ambassadeurs. 

167 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK     [Sept. 

money?  Let  us  be  very  grateful  for  our  better  portion. 
William  Ramin  is  said  to  have  scraped  together  what  he 
could,  and  disappeared,  leaving  two  hundred  thousand 
rix  -  dollars  of  debts.  1  hope  it's  not  so.  Lettow  was 
here,  and  Moritz.  The  latter  full  of  war  business.  Here 
everything  is  going  as  usual;  Elsie  and  Jenny  are  here 
for  good ;  the  gentlemen  have  just  left,  and  only  now  do  1 
find  leisure  to  write  you,  while  the  ladies  are  conversing 
with  me.     Malvina*  is  round  as  a  barrel. 

It  was  right  sad  and  gloomy  on  our  journey  to  Schlawe, 
and  your  little  gown  still  kept  waving  before  me  in  the 
dark,  like  a  bright  streak  between  the  garden  bushes. 
Let  my  dear  little  one  not  be  sad.  I  shall  be  back  very 
soon.  If  you  write  me  directly  on  receipt  of  this,  address 
Magdeburg,  in  care  of  Gerlach.  Do  not  prepay  37our 
letters  to  me  hereafter;  I  will  not  do  so,  either;  every  one 
is  complaining  how  many  prepaid  letters  are  now  lost  or 
intercepted,  because  no  further  record  is  kept  of  them. 
I  give  you  a  thousand  kisses,  my  dear  heart ;  take  care  of 
yourself  at  night,  too,  and  do  not  get  up  unnecessarily. 
Many  thanks  to  mother  for  everything,  and  at  this  moment 
particularly  for  the  white  cushion.  Give  a  hug  to  our 
gray-bearded  dad,  too,  and  to  both  the  little  scamps,  and 
be  not  discouraged.  God  will  shield  us  all  for  His  love's 
sake.  To-morrow  morning  I  continue  my  journey,  and 
shall  write  wherever  I  have  time.  Farewell,  my  little  pink 
angel.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

BERLIN,  Wednesday. 
(Postmarked  September  26,  '50.) 
MY  DARLING,— How  is  it  that  to-day  is  Wednesday? 
Did  I  not  leave  Reinf eld,  then,  on  Saturday  afternoon,  spend- 
*  Mrs.  von  Bismarck,  of  Kiilz. 
168 


1850]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF    BISMARCK 

ing  Sunday  at  Kiilz,  leaving  there  early  on  Monday,  and 
arriving  here  the  same  da}T,  i.  e.,  last  night?  Je  n'y  com- 
prends  rien,  I  have  lost  track  of  one  day;  I  have  only 
reached  Tuesday,  but  here  every  one  says  it  is  Wednesday ; 
one  day  less  of  separation  from  you ;  with  that  I  console  my- 
self in  my  bewilderment.  .  .  .  Last  night,  wishing  to  take  out 
a  nightshirt,  I  found,  in  place  of  my  own  trunk,  that  of  a 
Jewish  tailor,  A.  Rosenberg,  of  Coslin ;  that  brand  pursues 
me.  This  morning  I  ascertained  that  at  Stettin  they  pasted 
my  number  on  the  wrong  luggage,  and  that  the  Jew  en  ques- 
tion is  expected  this  evening ;  I  have  written  by  the  mid-day 
train,  and  I  hope  my  things  will  be  sent  along,  provided 
they  can  be  identified  by  the  description.  So  1  have  had 
to  spend  the  day  here,  and  at  least  find  time  to  write  you ; 
but  I  am  running  about  the  streets  like  a  ragman.  Frau 
von  Manteuffel,  whom  1  visited  in  this  costume,  threw  up  her 
hands  in  surprise,  and  I  explained  to  her  how  my  shabb}7 
state  was  a  result  of  her  husband's  measures  against  the 
landed  gentry.  She  sends  you  cordial  regards,  and  bids 
me  tell  you  that  the  boy's  cough  and  Marie's  attacks  of 
sore  throat  have  an  intimate  connection  with  the  teeth, 
and  will  return  periodically,  but  always  less  severely.  .  .  . 
I  am  at  a  loss  to  remember  what  you  wished  me  to  get  for 
you  in  Berlin ;  I  should  now  have  time  enough  to  at- 
tend to  it.  Provided  my  things  arrive  to-day,  we  intend 
to  go  to  Magdeburg  to-morrow,  and  the  following  day  1 
shall  probably  go  on  to  Schonhausen  ;  I  dread  the  solitude  ; 
there  I  shall  probably  find  the  first  news  that  you  and 
our  little  tot  are  well,  and  our  parents,  too ;  I  pray  God  ver}7 
earnestly  to  extend  I  lis  protection  over  the  little  red  house, 
but  you  have  spoiled  me  by  your  anxiety,  and  1  have  to 
muster  all  the  little  trust  1  have,  so  as  not  to  see  some  mis- 
fortune when  1  think  of  you.     Nothing  definite  is  heard 

169 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Sept. 

as  yet  concerning  the  assembling  of  the  Houses.  The 
Czar  is  said  to  have  intimated  that  he  could  no  longer  em- 
ploy one  of  his  best  diplomats  as  a  physician  of  the  insane ; 
therefore,  Meyendorff  was  to  leave,  and  no  envoy  be  sent 
here  for  the  present,  as  sensible  people  could  be  of  no  service 
to  him  here.  Very  flattering,  also,  for  Budberg,  who  is  now 
managing  matters.  Radowitz,  the  great  magician,  as  he 
is  called,  stands  better  than  ever  with  the  King,  who  con- 
siders him  a  martyr  for  his  (the  King's)  person,  as  all  turn 
their  backs  on  him ;  ministers,  chamberlains,  court  ladies 
have  not  a  word  to  say  to  him,  and  even  the  old  lackeys  with 
the  Iron  Cross  play  pranks  on  him  wherever  they  can.  God 
mend  it.  Farewell,  my  beloved  angel.  May  the  Lord  pre- 
serve you  from  sickness  and  misfortune.  Give  heartiest 
love  to  our  parents. 

Your  most  faithful  and  dearest  V.  B. 

SCHONHAUSEN,  Sunday  Evening. 
(Postmarked  JERICHOW,  September  30,  '50.) 

MY  BELOVED  NAN, — .  .  .  1  regained  possession  of  my 
things  in  Berlin  at  some  cost,  after  twenty-four  hours  had 
elapsed  ;  when  I  left,  the  unfortunate  Jew  had  not  yet 
claimed  his.  Partly  on  my  account  and  partly  on  Hans's, 
we  had  to  stay  in  Berlin  two  days,  but  this  time  the  bill  was 

more  reasonable May  the  devil  take  politics  !     Here  I 

found  everything  as  we  left  it,  only  the  leaves  show  the 
rosiness  of  autumn;  flowers  are  almost  more  plentiful 
than  in  summer ;  Kahle  has  a  particular  fondness  for  them, 
and  on  the  terrace  fabulous  pumpkins  are  suspended  by 
their  vines  from  the  trees.  The  pretty  plums  are  gone ; 
only  a  few  blue  ones  still  remain ;  of  the  vine,  only  the  com- 
mon green  variety  is  ripe ;  next  week  I  shall  send  \Tou  some 
grapes.     1  have  devoured  so  many  figs  to-day  that  I  was 

170 


1850]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

obliged  to  drink  rum,  but  they  were  the  last.  I  am  sorry 
you  cannot  see  the  Indian  corn;  it  stands  closely  packed, 
three  feet  higher  than  I  can  reach  with  my  hand ;  the  colts' 
pasture  looks  from  a  distance  like  a  fifteen-year-old  pine 
preserve.  I  am  sitting  here  at  your  desk,  a  crackling  fire 
behind  me,  and  Odin,  rolled  into  a  knot,  by  my  side.  .  .  . 
Mamsell  received  me  in  pink,  with  a  black  dancing-jacket  ; 
the  children  in  the  village  ridicule  her  swaggering  about 
her  noble  and  rich  relations.  She  has  cooked  well  again  to- 
day, but,  as  to  the  feeding  of  the  cattle,  Bellin  laments  bit- 
terly that  she  understands  nothing  about  it,  and  pays  no 
attention  to  it,  and  she  is  also  said  to  be  uncleanly;  the 
Bellin  woman  does  not  eat  a  mouthful  prepared  by  her. 
Her  father  is  a  common  cottager  and  laborer ;  I  can  easily 
understand  that  she  is  out  of  place  there,  with  her  grand  airs 
and  pink  dresses.  Up  to  this  time  the  garden,  outside  of 
Kahle's  keep,  has  cost  one  hundred  and  three  rix-dollars  this 
year,  and  between  now  and  Christmas  forty  to  fifty  will  prob- 
ably be  added  for  digging  and  harvesting,  besides  the  fuel. 
The  contents  of  the  greenhouse  I  shall  try  to  have  taken 
care  of  in  the  neighborhood;  that  is  really  the  most  diffi- 
cult point,  and  still  one  cannot  continue  keeping  the  place 
for  the  sake  of  the  few  oranges.  I  am  giving  out  that  you 
will  spend  the  winter  in  Berlin,  that  in  the  summer-time  we 
intend  going  to  a  watering-place  again,  and  that,  therefore, 
we  are  giving  up  house-keeping  for  a  year.  .  .  .  Hearty  love 
to  our  parents.  1  shall  celebrate  father's  birthday  with 
you,  like  a  Conservative,  in  the  old  style.  May  the  mer- 
ciful God,  for  His  Son's  sake,  preserve  you  and  the  chil- 
dren.    Farewell,  my  dear  Nan.  Your  V.  B. 

Since  leaving  Reinfeld  1  no  longer  have  heartburn  ;  per- 
haps it  is  in  my  heart,  and  my  heart  has  remained  with  Nan. 

171 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK       [Oct. 

SCHONHAUSEN,  October  I,  '50. 
MY  ANGEL, — I  am  so  anxious  that  I  can  hardly  endure 
being  here;  I  have  the  most  decided  inclination  to  inform 
the  government  at  once  of  my  resignation,  let  the  dike 
go,  and  proceed  to  Reinfeld.  1  expected  to  have  a  letter 
from  you  to-day,  but  nothing  except  stupid  police  matters. 
Do  write  very,  very  often,  even  if  it  takes  one  hundred  rix- 
dollars  postage.  I  am  always  afraid  that  you  are  sick,  and 
to-day  I  am  in  such  a  mood  that  I  should  like  to  foot  it  to 
Pomerania.  I  long  for  the  children,  for  mammy  and  dad, 
and,  most  of  all,  for  you,  my  darling,  so  that  I  have  no  peace 
at  all.  Without  you  here,  what  is  Schonhausen  to  me? 
The  dreary  bedroom,  the  empty  cradles  with  the  little  beds 
in  them,  all  the  absolute  silence,  like  an  autumn  fog,  in- 
terrupted only  by  the  ticking  of  the  clock  and  the  periodic 
falling  of  the  chestnuts — it  is  as  though  3Tou  all  were  dead. 
I  always  imagine  your  next  letter  will  bring  bad  news, 
and  if  I  knew  it  was  in  Genthin  by  this  time,  I  would  send 
Hildebrand  there  in  the  night.  Berlin  is  endurable  when 
one  is  alone;  there  one  is  busy,  and  can  chatter  all  day; 
but  here  it  is  enough  to  drive  one  mad ;  I  must  formerly  have 
been  an  entirely  different  mortal,  to  bear  it  as  I  did.  .  .  . 
The  girl  received  the  notice  to  leave  very  lightly  and  good- 
naturedly,  as  quite  a  matter  of  course ;  Kahle,  on  the  other 
hand,  was  beside  himself,  and  almost  cried ;  said  he  could 
not  find  a  place  at  Christmas-time,  and  would  go  to  the 
dogs,  as  he  expressed  it.  I  consoled  him  by  promising  to 
pay  his  wages  for  another  quarter  if  he  failed  to  find  a  place 
by  New  Year's.  The  girl  is  quite  useless  except  in  cook- 
ing, of  which  more  orally.  1  cannot  enumerate  all  the  lit- 
tle trifles,  and  certainly  Kahle  does  not  belong  to  the  better 
half  of  gardeners.  ...  1  feel  so  vividly  as  if  1  were  with 
you  while  writing  this  that  I  am  becoming  quite  gay,  until 

172 


1850]      THE    LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

I  again  recollect  the  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  including 
one  hundred  and  seventy-five  without  a  railroad.  Pome- 
rania  is  terribly  long,  after  all.  Have  you  my  Kiilz  letter, 
too?  Bernhard  has  probably  kept  it  in  his  pocket.  Do 
not  prepay  your  letters,  or  they  will  be  stolen.  Innumer- 
able books  have  arrived  from  the  binder;  he  claims  one 
section  of  Scott's  Pirate  is  missing;  I  know  nothing  about 
it.  The  tailor  says  that  he  has  been  able  to  make  only 
five  pair  of  drawers  from  the  stuff;  presumably  he  is 
wearing  the  sixth  himself.  Farewell,  my  sweetheart. 
Write  as  often  as  you  can,  and  give  love  and  kisses  to 
every  one  from  me,  large  and  small.  May  God's  mercy 
be  with  you.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


SCHONHAUSEN,  October  3,  '50. 
My  ANGEL, — I  was  delighted  to  get  your  letter  yester- 
day, and  thanked  God  that  you  are  well.  He  will  surely 
help  the  boy  to  pull  through,  too.  Be  sure  and  don't  spoil 
little  Marie,  if  she  is  so  charming,  and  do  not  let  her  have 
her  own  way  too  much.  If  the  weather  at  all  permits,  let 
her  out-of-doors,  and  the  boy,  too,  if  his  condition  allows  of 
it.  I  live  here  very  quietly,  sleep  long,  go  out  walking, 
attend  to  my  dike  duties  in  the  afternoons,  and  write 
evenings.  Had  it  not  been  for  Frick's  stupid  money  mat- 
ters, I  could  still  be  staying  quietly  with  you;  in  Magde- 
burg, too,  they  might  have  done  without  me ;  but  certainly 
I  don't  know  how  I  could  have  attended  to  the  payments 
of  interest  from  there;  it  is  difficult  to  find  money  in  those 
Rummelsburg  hills.  ...  I  know  nothing  new  since  the  day 
before  yesterday,  except  that  I  am  still  in  anxiety,  and 
love  you  quite  as  much  as  yesterday,  and  am  just  as 
eager  for  letters ;  I  am  writing  you  to-day  primarily  to  set 

173 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS  OF  BISMARCK   [Oct*. 

you  a  good  example.  I  must  close,  for  I  have  just  eaten 
such  a  hearty  supper,  with  thick  gruel,  ham  and  eggs, 
that  I  can  no  longer  sit  up  straight,  but  am  going  to  pace 
the  floor  a  bit,  and  to-morrow  I  ride  out  early.  Farewell, 
all  three  little  tots  in  God's  keeping.  Dearest  love  to  our 
parents.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


SCHONHAUSEN,  October  8,   '50. 

To-day,  at  last,  my  darling,  I  receive  the  letter  which 
you  began  on  the  2d  and  posted  on  the  4th,  together  with 
the  dike  seal ;  it  is  certainly  strange  how  slowly  the  mail 
travels  under  Heydt.  .  .  .  But  as  to  the  girl,  my  angel,  it  is 
quite  out  of  the  question;  despite  your  objection,  I  stick 
to  it  that,  in  the  kitchen,  at  any  rate,  she  is  dirty,  although 
she  has  an  incredible  amount  of  washing  done  for  her- 
self :  the  kitchen  looks  inordinately  greasy,  and  even 
Hildebrand,  for  the  first  time  since  I  have  had  him,  com- 
plains of  the  food  on  the  score  of  uncleanliness  (mag- 
gots, mould),  and  feeds  it  to  Odin.  Besides,  she  is  half 
crazy,  burns  wax  candles,  presumably  ours  (I  don't  know 
where  they  are  kept,  or  how  many  there  were),  and  when 
the  Bellin  woman  expresses  surprise,  she  says :  "  Shall  I 
not  do  that?  I  am  not  used  to  anything  different!"  and 
lets  a  candle,  presumably  ours,  too,  burn  down  so  low  in 
her  room  as  to  make  a  hole  in  the  table.  She  is  half  crazy 
from  vanity,  and  all  taken  up  with  her  brother,  a  whole- 
sale merchant  in  Berlin,  who,  as  she  asserts,  "  bosses  the 
railroad,  and  can  have  a  locomotive  hitched  to  a  car  all  by 
himself,  and  travel  wherever  he  pleases."  Drop  her,  my 
dear;  it  is  no  use  keeping  her.     Alvinia's*  things  I  shall 

*  Nurse. 
174 


i85o]      THE   LOVE    LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK. 

forward  by  Hildebrand,  and  talk  to  her  mother  on  the  oc- 
casion of  the  dike  inspection.  How  sorry  I  am  that  the 
boy  disturbs  you  so  much  at  night!  he  probably  has  a 
slight  whooping-cough,  it  continues  with  him  for  such  a 
long  time.  .  .  .  Heart3^  love.  God  keep  you  and  the  babies. 
Write  me,  too,  whether  I  am  to  send  anything  at  once. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


SCHONHAUSEN,  October   10,    '50. 

MY  DARLING, — In  a  sullen  rage  I  swoop  down  upon  my 
inkstand  after  just  lighting  the  Town  Councillor  down- 
stairs with  the  kindliest  countenance  in  the  world.  He  sat 
here  for  two  and  a  half  hours  by  the  clock,  moaning  and 
groaning,  without  the  least  regard  for  my  wry  face;  I  was 
just  about  to  read  the  paper  when  he  came.  From  ten  to 
two  I  crawled  about  trie  Elbe's  banks,  in  a  boat  and  on 
foot,  with  many  stupid  people,  attending  to  breakwaters, 
protective  banks,  and  all  sorts  of  nonsense.  This  is,  in 
general,  a  day  of  vexations;  this  morning  I  dreamed  so 
charmingly  that  I  stood  with  you  on  the  seashore;  it  was 
just  like  the  new  strand,  only  the  mud  was  rocks,  the  beeches 
were  thick -foliaged  laurel,  the  sea  was  as  green  as  the' 
Lake  of  Traun,  and  opposite  us  lay  Genoa,  which  we  shall 
probably  never  see,  and  it  was  delightfully  warm;  then  1 
was  awakened  by  Hildebrand,  accompanied  by  a  sum- 
moner,  who  brought  me  an  order  to  serve  as  a  juror  at 
Magdeburg  from  October  20th  to  November  16th,  under 
penalty  of  from  one  hundred  to  two  hundred  rix-dollars 
for  each  day  of  absence.  I  am  going  there  by  the  first 
train  to-morrow,  and  hope  to  extricate  myself;  for  God  so 
to  punish  my  deep  and  restless  longing  for  what  is  dearest 
to  me  in  this  world,  so  that  we  shall  not  have  the  fleeting 

175 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK      [Oct. 

pleasure  of  a  couple  of  weeks  together,  would,  indeed,  be 
incredibly  severe.  I  am  all  excitement ;  that  is  our  share 
in  the  newly  achieved  liberty — that  I  am  to  be  forced  to 
spend  my  few  days  of  freedom  sitting  in  judgment  over 
thievish  tramps  of  Jews,  like  a  prisoner  in  a  fortress.  I 
hope  Gerlach  can  free  me ;  otherwise  I  shall  never  speak  to 
him  again.  To-morrow  I  shall  at  once  drop  you  a  line 
from  Magdeburg,  to  tell  you  how  I  succeed.  .  .  .  The  people 
have  abandoned  the  dike-captain  conspiracy  against  me; 
the  Town  Councillor  says  he  will  not  press  it  at  all.  He 
chattered  to  me  for  hours  about  his  land-tax  commission, 
in  which  his  anxiety  drove  him  to  rage  against  his  own 
flesh,  and  also,  unfortunately,  against  ours.  Our  chief 
misfortune  is  the  cowardly  servility  towards  those  above 
and  the  chasing  after  popularity  below,  which  character- 
ize our  provincial  councillor ;  consequently  public  business, 
the  chase,  land-tax,  etc.,  are  all  deleteriously  affected.  It 
is  due  principally  to  the  fact  that  he  is  grossly  ignorant 
and  bungling  in  affairs,  and  is,  therefore,  for  better,  for 
worse,  in  the  hands  of  his  democratic  circuit  secretary, 
to  whom  he  never  dares  to  show  his  teeth;  and,  despite  all 
that,  the  fellow  wears  trousers,  has  been  a  soldier,  and  is  a 
nobleman.  La-Croix  is  district-attorney  at  Madgeburg, 
withal,  and  he,  too,  must  help  me  to  sneak  out  of  it.  It  is 
still  impossible  for  me  to  acquiesce  in  the  notion  that  we 
are  to  be  separated  all  winter,  and  I  am  sick  at  heart  when- 
ever I  think  of  it ;  only  now  do  I  truly  feel  how  very,  very 
much  3Tou  and  the  babies  are  part  of  myself,  and  how  you 
fill  my  being.  That  probably  explains  why  it  is  that  I  ap- 
pear cold  to  all  except  you,  even  to  mother ;  if  God  should 
impose  on  me  the  terrible  affliction  of  losing  you,  I  feel,  so 
far  as  my  feelings  can  at  this  moment  grasp  and  realize 
such  a  wilderness  of  desolation,  that  I  would  then  cling  so 

176 


1850]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

to  your  parents  that  mother  would  have  to  complain  of 
being  persecuted  with  love.  But  away  with  all  imaginary 
misery;  there  is  enough  in  reality.  Let  us  now  earnestly 
thank  the  Lord  that  we  are  all  together,  even  though  sep- 
arated by  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  and  let  us  expe- 
rience the  sweetness  of  knowing  that  we  love  each  other 
very  much,  and  can  tell  each  other  so.  To  me  it  is  always 
like  ingratitude  to  God  that  we  choose  to  live  apart  so 
long,  and  are  not  together  while  He  makes  it  possible  for 
us ;  but  He  will  show  us  His  will ;  all  may  turn  out  differ- 
ently; the  Chambers  may  be  dissolved,  possibly  very 
quickly,  as  the  majority  is  probably  opposed  to  the  Min- 
istry. Manteuffel  was  resolved  upon  it  in  that  event,  and 
it  seems  that  Radowitz,  since  he  is  Minister,  has  approached 
him,  and,  in  general,  wants  to  change  his  politics  again. 
Best  love  to  all.     Farewell.     God  keep  you. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


SCHONHAUSEN,  October  12,  '50. 

MY  BELOVED  NAN, — I  hasten  to  inform  you  of  the 
particulars  of  my  Magdeburg  expedition,  and  the  pros- 
pects of  my  getting  rid  of  the  jury  nuisance.  First  of  all, 
I  went  to  Gerlach,  who  told  me  he  could  do  nothing  in  the 
matter,  but  that  the  decision  as  to  the  validity  of  excuses 
rests  solely  with  the  presiding  judge,  Meier ;  the  latter,  a  bap- 
tized Jew,  gave  me  the  same  answer,  referring  me  to  Fritze, 
the  director  of  the  criminal  court,  who  in  turn  said,  again, 
that  he,  for  his  part,  could  make  no  change  in  the  list  ap- 
proved by  the  court;  that  he  had  done  so  once,  and  been 
severely  reprimanded  for  it,  and  that  he  had  risked  having 
all  the  proceedings  attacked  by  counsel  for  the  accused  as 
invalid  for  informality.  That  the  only  thing  for  me  was  to 
M  177 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK      [Oct. 

put  in  writing  my  reasons  (which  he  thought  valid)  for  wish- 
ing to  be  excused,  and  that  the  court,  on  assembling  on  the 
22d,  would  consult  the  other  jurors,  and  decide  whether  it 
was  permissible  to  excuse  me.  He,  as  well  as  other 
members  of  the  court,  were  of  opinion  that  I  should  be  re- 
leased. I  have  looked  up  a  whole  lot  of  people,  partly  even 
in  the  witness-room  of  the  criminal  jail.  Then  I  begged 
the  government  to  claim  my  services  as  captain  of  the 
dikes  for  the  time  of  the  inspection,  and  they  have 
promised  to  do  so ;  but  that  will  only  help  me  for  the  first 
days,  even  if  the  court  should  recognize  such  a  claim.  I 
believe  I  shall  get  out  of  it,  but  1  shall  not  know  definitely 
till  the  22d.  If  I  fail,  I  shall  at  least  be  able  to  obtain  my 
dismissal  a  few  days  after  reaching  Magdeburg,  and  shall 
then  stay  with  you  until  after  the  Chambers  are  opened, 
which  will  probably  be  on  the  15th;  as,  in  all  probability, 
not  much  of  moment  will  come  before  them  at  the  beginning. 
Yesterday  I  was  so  angry  about  the  whole  business  at 
Magdeburg  that  I  thought  1  should  be  ill,  and  went  to  bed 
here  with  a  slight  fever ;  but  to-day  1  am  quite  well,  only 
1  am  very  sad  over  the  possibility,  still  not  removed,  of 
having  to  stay  away  from  you  still  longer,  and  seeing  our 
short  time  together  still  further  curtailed.  It  is  truly  an 
incredible  arrangement  that  thirty-six  people  in  the  dis- 
trict, of  whom  only  twelve  are  made  use  of,  may,  without 
having  committed  any  crime,  simply  at  the  caprice  of  a 
magistrate,  be  condemned  to  four  weeks'  confinement  at 
Magdeburg,  and  without  living  at  the  King's  expense, 
either,  like  other  prisoners;  and  that  only  a  week's  notice 
is  given  of  such  a  thing.  Since  '48  how  little  have  I  been 
at  home,  and  now  I  am  to  be  imprisoned  in  the  fortress  the 
few  days  left  me  to  arrange  for  a  long  absence.  Withal, 
the  whole  thing  rests  essentially  on  the  ignorance  of  the 

178 


i$5o]       THE  LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

court;  they  had  proposed,  with  the  best  of  intentions,  to 
draft  jurors  only  from  Magdeburg  and  its  immediate  vicin- 
ity, and  they  do  not  know  that  only  two  places  in  the  whole 
district  are  farther  away  than  Schonhausen,  namely, 
Hohengohren  and  Neuermark:  there  the  district  ends. 
Gerlach  was  quite  at  a  loss  to  comprehend  why  I  should 
be  so  anxious  to  avoid  a  duty  which  we  ought  to  be  eager 
to  perforin;  he  considered  only  the  inconvenience  and 
tedium  of  staying  four  weeks  in  Magdeburg ;  such  a  thing 
as  longing  for  wife  and  child  he  appears  neither  to  expe- 
rience nor  to  suspect  in  others,  and  disposed  of  that  with  a 
smile  and  a  shrug  of  the  shoulders.  I  was  in  such  a  rage 
that  they  were  both  offended,  and  he  remarked  that,  once  I 
was  angry,  it  seemed  to  me  immaterial  with  whom,  and 
he  is  right,  in  a  measure.  After  having  vented  my  ire 
internally  on  the  return  journey,  and  also  externally 
upon  Magistrate  Alvensleben,  who  sat  in  the  coupe  with 
me  from  M.  to  Genthin,  and  left  me  somewhat  hurt,  1 
prayed  God  in  the  evening  to  pardon  my  unruliness,  and 
submitted  to  His  will;  perhaps  it  is  only  a  merciful  hint 
from  Him  to  show  me,  in  my  excited  dissatisfaction  over 
our  separation,  that  it  could  very  easily  be  worse,  and  we 
will  endure  obediently  what  He  imposes  on  us,  and  not 
make  each  other  more  sad.  I  shall  be  thankful  and  con- 
tent that  He  allows  us  all  to  be  alive  and  well,  and  does  not 
punish  me  more  severely  for  my  many  sins.  I  had  at  first 
intended  to  go  to  Reinfeld  at  once,  and  be  here  again  on 
the  22d;  but  if  they  had  discovered  that,  they  would  cer- 
tainly not  let  me  go,  alleging  that  my  business  is  settled. 
Now,  too,  1  cannot  get  away  because  of  money  matters.  .  .  . 
Yesterday  the  mamselle  made  me  a  fricassee  in  which  there 
was  so  much  mould  that  I  was  frightened  ;  in  fact,  the 
food  she  prepares  oftentimes  tastes  so  strange  that  I  be- 

179 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK       [Oct. 

gin  to  be  nauseated.  Just  now  I  had  some  smoky  milk- 
porridge  for  supper,  and  must  close  so  that  I  may  still  write 
to  Bernard,  who  has  been  expecting  me  for  a  week,  in  order 
to  invite  the  Arnims  to  meet  me.  Do  not  grieve,  my  be- 
loved heart,  over  all  our  little  vexations;  if  only  God  will 
preserve  your  health  and  the  children's — I  pray  for  that 
with  immoderate  passion — then  He  will  surely  grant  us  a 
happj^  meeting  very  soon.  A  dissolution  of  the  Houses 
some  time  before  Christmas  seems  to  me  not  improbable. 
Love  one  thousand  times  over  to  our  parents. 

Your  ardently  loving  and  most  faithful  V.   B. 

SCHONHAUSEN,  Monday. 
(Postmarked  JERICHOW,   October  15,   '50.) 

...  In  the  matter  of  the  jury  there  has  been  no  change  as 
yet ;  I  am  awaiting  every  mail-day  a  certificate  from  the  gov- 
ernment that  I  am  indispensable  here,  in  order  to  submit  it 
with  a  request  to  be  released,  which  I  have  already  drawn 
up.  It  is  damp  and  cold  here  continually,  raining  from 
morning  till  night,  but  in  the  garden  things  are  still  rath- 
er green,  although  already  of  a  faded  appearance.  To- 
morrow there  will  be  a  grand  dinner  at  Genthin ;  but  I 
shall  not  go,  as  I  have  no  appetite  for  their  bad  wine  and 
their  constitutional  toasts,  but  shall  celebrate  his  Maj- 
esty's birthday  alone  with  old  Bellin,  and  hope  to  receive 
at  dessert  the  longed-for  tidings  from  you.  Do  not  be 
hindered  from  writing  me.  If  perhaps  some  one  has  fallen 
very  ill,  any  news  at  all  is  better  than  this  distressing  si- 
lence, which  gives  most  senseless  scope  to  the  imagination. 
This  jury  business,  and  the  dike  nuisance,  rent  liquida- 
tions, tedious  neighbors,  the  bad  weather,  and  the  solitude 
have  put  me  so  out  of  sorts  that  I  am  heartily  sick  of  Schon- 
hausen,  and,  nevertheless,  I  lack  decision  when  a  pur- 

180 


1850]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

chaser  comes,  as  I  look  on  the  old  walls  and  the  high  trees 
which  stand  motionless  in  the  rain.  Alvensleben  the 
other  day  again  accosted  me  about  it  Then,  too,  my 
cigars  have  suddenly  given  out.  My  next  letter  I  am  go- 
ing to  address  to  mother,  otherwise  she  will  not  write  to 
me  again ;  only  I  am  too  ill-tempered  to-day,  and  should, 
after  all,  only  vex  her  by  my  effusions.  Do  not  wony,  my 
darling,  thinking  I  am  angry  over  the  want  of  letters ;  1 
am  only  anxious,  and  in  bad  humor,  withal,  owing  to  the 
absence  of  anything  that  could  cheer  me;  but  please  do 
write,  every  mail-day  if  possible,  be  it  but  one  little  word ; 
it  is  always  the  only  ray  of  light  in  my  solitude,  whenever 
Hildebrand  brings  me  a  letter  marked  "Zuckers."  God 
is  gracious  and  merciful,  and  will  hear  my  prayer  and 
shield  you  from  harm.  To  His  protection  I  commit  our- 
selves and  all  Reinfeld,  with  all  that  is  therein.  Farewell, 
my  heart,  and  write,  write,  write  to 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


SCHONHAUSEN,   October  15,   1850. 

DEAR  MOTHER, — I  had  hoped  to  be  with  you  again 
for  your  birthday ;  to  the  delay  of  the  dike  inspection  is 
due  the  fact  that  I  can  only  in  writing  express  my  most 
hearty  congratulations;  I  thank  God  that  He  has  pre- 
served you  to  us,  through  the  great  amount  of  trouble  and 
sickness  which  you  have  suffered  with  us  during  your  year 
just  passed,  and  I  pray  Him  to  preserve  to  us  henceforth, 
too,  your  faithful  support ;  and  I  thank  you,  dear  mother, 
for  the  rich  measure  of  love  for  us,  which  has  always  en- 
dured to  overflowing,  and  with  which  you  have  constantly 
met  me,  even  though  you  sometimes  believed  I  did  not  re- 
alize it  as  you  had  a  right  to  expect.     God  is  my  witness, 

181 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK        [Oct. 

or,  rather,  yours  for  me,  that  I  have  often  had  to  ask  His 
forgiveness  for  wrong  done  to  you,  and  that  I  have  prayed 
to  Him  for  strength  to  fill  my  stubborn  heart  with  humility 
and  peace.  May  He,  by  His  Holy  Spirit,  support  me  in  it ; 
then  I  shall  have  to  ask  less  forgiveness  of  you  during  next 
year,  dear  mother,  than  in  this.  I  believe  we  have  both 
experienced,  too,  that  the  Lord  helps  us  to  round  off  the 
edges  which  must  be  polished  smooth  in  every  newly 
formed  relation  between  persons  who  are  past  the  age  of 
early  youth,  which  is  easily  moulded  and  pliant,  and  He 
will  also  help  us  in  it  henceforth.  If  there  have  been  dis- 
cords between  us,  they  were,  after  all,  but  superficial ;  we, 
who  four  years  ago  to-day  were  like  utter  strangers,  and 
hardly  had  any  common  acquaintances,  have,  never- 
theless, in  the  course  of  time,  through  war  and  peace,  and 
with  ever  less  war  and  ever  more  peace,  approached  so 
near  to  each  other  that,  outside  of  Johanna,  1  have  not  any 
one,  not  even  my  brothers  and  sisters,  with  whom  I  share 
so  frankly  and  openly  my  cares  and  joys,  internal  as  well 
as  external,  and  am  always  certain  of  true  sympathy,  even 
in  those  cases  in  which  I  might  expect  to  have  forfeited  it ; 
that  is  surely  more  than  any  one  whose  relationships  I 
have  come  to  know  can  say  of  himself  and  his  mother-in- 
law.  If  I  could  succeed,  with  God's  help,  in  banishing 
out  of  my  heart  its  fierce  temper  and  mastering  the  ill- 
nature  which  casual  vexation  easilj7  brings  to  expression 
in  my  manner,  then  there  would  never  be  a  moment  in 
which  you  would  doubt  my  deep  and  warm  love,  or  my 
gratitude  to  you ;  but  only  the  grace  of  God  can  make  one 
person  out  of  the  two  in  me,  and  so  strengthen  in  me  His 
redeemed  portion  that  it  shall  kill  the  devil's  share;  it 
must  come  at  last,  otherwise  it  would  go  ill  with  me.  But, 
believe  me,  the  man  of  God  in  me  loves  you  deeply,  though 

182 


1850]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

the  devil's  slave  may  provoke  you,  and  the  former  is  full  of 
gratitude  for  all  your  kindness,  faithfulness,  and  your  for- 
giving nature,  even  though  the  other  behaves  like  an  icicle. 
God  will  certainly  stand  by  His  portion,  so  that  He  remains 
Master  of  the  house,  and  the  other  one  can  only  show  him- 
self in  the  hall,  even  if  he  sometimes  acts  there  as  if  he  were 
host. 

To-day  I  have  at  last  received  a  long-desired  letter  from 
Johanna,  and  yesterday  I  wrote  a  very  impatient  one.  My 
poor  dear  is  suffering  in  tooth  and  eyes ;  do  see  that  she  is 
very  careful  of  herself,  so  far  as  is  possible,  without  bur- 
dening you,  and  do  not  let  her  foolishly  strain  her  eyes 
with  writing  and  working  by  artificial  light.  To-morrow 
morning  I  have  the  Triibe  inspection,  and  the  following 
day  I  begin  packing  Johanna's  commissions;  a  week 
from  to-day  is  dike  inspection,  and  I  hope  to  be  able  to 
leave  two  days  later,  if  only  I  am  first  rid  of  the  jury.  Fare- 
well, dear  mother.     Heartfelt  love  to  father  from 

Your  faithful  son,  V.  BISMARCK. 


SCHONHAUSEN,   October  17,  '50. 

MOST  BELOVED  NAN,  —  One  thousand  thanks  for 
your  two  nice  letters  yesterday  and  the  day  before.  So 
now  you  are  behaving  properly!  I  wrote  to  you  and  to 
mother  by  the  mail  of  day  before  yesterday.  Yesterday 
Triibe  inspection.  Starting  out  at  seven  o'clock,  to  a  place 
behind  Havelberg,  mostly  afoot,  I  plodded  through  ten  or 
twelve  miles  of  swamps,  in  great  boots,  then  regaled  my- 
self at  Jederitz  with  peasants'  sausage  and  schnapps ; 
did  not  return  for  dinner  till  dark,  and  was  dead  tired  ; 
foolishly  read  Scott's  Monastery  during  half  the  night,  and 
slept  like  a  top  until  10.30,  so  that  I  can  only  hurriedly 

183 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK       [Oct. 

give  you  my  thanks  and  tell  you  I  am  well,  before  going  to 
Scharteucke.  I  have  just  extracted  from  all  your  letters 
a  whole  sheet  of  commissions,  and  instructed  the  Bellin 
woman  to  look  for  everything.  Yesterday  I  was  in  a 
wonderfully  pretty  primeval  oak  forest  (you  must  go  there 
with  me  in  the  summer  by  water),  leading  to  a  charm- 
ing little  river  ;  oaks  twenty-five  feet  in  circumference. 
At  dinner-time  to-day  I  shall  drink  to  dear  mammy's 
health.  God  preserve  our  dear  parents,  and  you  and  the 
children  and  your  Most  faithful  V.  B. 

Nothing  new  as  yet  concerning  the  jury;  but  a  week 
from  to-day  1  expect  to  be  on  the  way  to  my  angel. 


SCHONHAUSEN,  October  18,  '50. 
My  DARLING, — Yesterday  I  received  your  letter  of  the 
14th,  and  thank  God  that  you  in  Reinfeld  are  well,  after 
your  fashion.  Only  dear  mother  is  so  pestered  with  swol- 
len feet;  I  beg  her  earnestly  to  take  care  of  herself  when 
she  is  sick,  and  to  leave  to  you  the  nightly  disturbance,  if 
you  are  well,  or  to  the  numerous  serviceable  spirits  at  Rein- 
feld; the  most  robust  constitution  must  at  last  succumb, 
if  it  is  constantly  deprived  of  regular  sleep,  and  the  old 
night-watchman's  saying,  "  Mortal  watching  cannot  help, 
God  in  heaven  see  to  it,"  is  true  for  children,  if  anywhere. 
At  Scharteucke  there  was  a  real  fairy  festival  yesterday; 
the  house  has  become  more  and  more  like  a  casket  of  treas- 
ures; to  the  right,  on  entering,  a  very  handsome  round 
balcony  has  been  opened  out  on  the  garden ;  the  table 
and  everything  on  which  there  is  room  is  overloaded  with 
bric-a-brac,  marble  vases,  and  all  the  little  playthings  in 
which  childless  people  commonly  seek  variety;  I  would 

184 


1850]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

not  give  Marie's  little  finger  for  all  the  attractive  luggage; 
but  you,  you  like  bric-a-brac?  ...  It  is  doubtful  whether,  at 
best,  I  shall  be  with  you  as  early  as  the  27th.  .  .  .  Perhaps 
I  can  write  more  definitely  in  my  next  letter.  But  I  shall 
only  ascertain  for  certain  on  Wednesday  whether  I  am  rid 
of  the  jury,  and  then  it  will  be  too  late  to  order  horses  for 
Sunday  (27th)  to  Schlawe,  therefore  I  shall  probably  have 
to  take  the  extra-post.  Hearty  love  to  our  parents.  God 
keep  you.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


SCHONHAUSEN,  October  21,  '50. 
MY  BELOVED  NAN, —  .  .  .  With  your  letter  I  received  an- 
other, which  somewhat  embarrasses  me;  it  is  an  invita- 
tion from  the  King  to  be  in  Letzlingen  the  28th  and  29th, 
with  a  summons  to  acknowledge  receipt  of  the  missive  at 
once,  and  to  appear  at  Letzlingen  as  early  as  the  evening 
of  the  27th.  Now  I  shall  only  ascertain  by  the  mail  of  day 
after  to-morrow,  the  23d,  whether  1  shall  get  rid  of  the  jury, 
and  it  is  possible — it  has  even  been  covertly  told  me  by  the 
court  officers  themselves — that  all  they  will  expect  of  me 
will  be  that,  after  the  dike  inspection  is  completed,  I  shall 
present  myself  for  a  few  days  at  Magdeburg,  simply  for 
honor's  sake,  after  which  1  shall  be  excused  for  the  rest  of 
the  time  on  the  plea  of  business,  so  that  I  shall  have  to  be 
in  Magdeburg,  say,  on  Friday  and  Saturday.  On  Sat- 
urday the  King  is  to  pass  through  there,  and  then  it  can- 
not but  happen  that  he  will  learn  from  his  hunting  com- 
panions of  Magdeburg  (Witzleben,  Hirschfeld)  that  I  was 
seen  there,  and  that  the  excuse  which  I  might  give,  that  I 
was  already  on  the  way  to  Pomerania,  or  what  not,  was  a 
mere  pretence;  and,  if  I  must  stay  so  long,  anyway,  I 
shall  be  glad  to  take  in  the  chase,  too.     On  the  other  hand, 

185 


THE  LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK      [Oct. 

if,  as  1  like  to  imagine,  1  get  away  altogether  from  jury 
dut}^,  I  could  be  ready  to  leave  on  Friday,  or,  at  the  latest, 
Saturday,  and  be  with  Nan  on  father's  birthday,  or,  at  any 
rate,  on  Monday,  as  I  wrote  you  last  night,  and  at  the  same 
time  ordered  horses.  In  short,  if  1  knew  that  1  could  leave 
on  Friday,  then  1  should  leave,  but  if  1  must  stay  until  Sun- 
day, at  any  rate,  I  should  go  to  the  King,  too.  But  much 
as  I  may  tramp  back  and  forth  in  my  little  room,  and  look 
at  the  glimmering  peat  in  the  fireplace,  it  is  quite  certain 
that,  even  if  the  court  people  write  very  promptly,  1  shall 
not  know  for  certain  till  the  day  after  to-morrow.  The 
chase  1  should  like  to  take  part  in,  and  I  should  also  be 
glad  to  speak  to  the  King  with  the  leisure  which  is  usual 
there;  but  then,  my  angel,  I  cannot  be  with  you  before 
November  2d;  that  makes  four  or  five  days  of  the  short 
time  during  wThich  we  shall  be  together,  and  if  I  cannot 
leave  before  Saturday,  1  shall  be  in  danger  of  meeting  the 
King's  train,  and  it  is  possible  that  1  shall  have  to  do  jury 
duty,  anyway,  for  two  or  four  days.  I  believe  1  wrote  you 
yesterday  that  I  am  already  excused  for  the  days  of  the 
dike  inspection,  up  to  and  including  Thursday;  those 
people  are,  after  all,  then,  not  so  surly  as  is  supposed.  I 
appear  to  myself  so  stupid  in  my  indecision;  so  stupid 
when,  after  laboriously  overcoming  all  obstacles  with 
God's  gracious  help,  I,  nevertheless,  remain  here  for  the 
sake  of  a  chase,  and  again  stupid  when  I  sit  in  Magdeburg 
and  see  the  King  riding  through  with  rifle  and  hanger 
and  cannot  go  along.  Bellin,  who  has  just  been  here, 
sa}Ts,  of  course,  that  I  must  go  to  the  chase.  I  was  just 
counting  my  buttons,  and  wondering  whether,  in  such 
childishness,  I  ought  to  think  of  God  or  not ;  but,  after  all, 
the  thought  of  Him  does  make  me  come  to  a  decision,  for 
the  simple  reason  that  I  cannot  decline  the  invitation  with- 

186 


1850]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF    BISMARCK 

out  telling  an  untruth;  for  1  certainly  would  not  allege 
simply  that  1  longed  to  be  with  you  at  once,  although  that 
is  as  cogent  a  reason  as  any  other,  but  it  is  not  presentable  at 
court.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  if  1  lie,  and  must  stay  here, 
anyway,  it  will  serve  me  right ;  if  1  stick  to  the  truth,  I  can 
certainly  say,  "  as  God  will."  It  is  quite  probable,  too,  that 
the  King  wishes  to  speak  to  me ;  for  otherwise  I  do  not  know 
why  I  should  be  honored  again,  and,  withal,  not  as  a  "  gen- 
tleman from  the  neighborhood,"  who  are  always  invited 
for  a  particular  day  only,  and  in  a  certain  fixed  rotation, 
but  rather  as  "  guest  of  the  castle, "  i.e.,  for  the  whole  chase, 
with  night  lodgings ;  and  I  am,  by  explicit  order,  to  come 
as  early  as  Sunday,  whereas  usually  the  gentlemen  ap- 
pear only  on  the  morning  of  the  chase,  and  return  home 
after  dinner.  Pardon  me  for  writing  so  much  idle  chat, 
but  I  am  simply  setting  down  how  my  thoughts  have 
swayed  back  and  forth  for  the  last  two  hours,  and  how  I 
seem  to  myself  now  as  one  who  wantonly  rejects  that  for 
which  he  has  prayed  God  passionately,  our  early  reunion ; 
and  anon,  as  one  who  in  Magdeburg  hankers  after  the 
chase  as  the  fox  after  grapes,  and  dreads  being  found  out 
like  one  caught  in  a  trap  by  his  own  false  excuses.  The 
more  I  picture  that  to  myself,  the  more  am  I  resolved  to 
acknowledge  receipt  for  the  present,  and  accept  the  invi- 
tation, and  then  wait  and  see  how  it  may  be  arranged,  and 
what  decision  God  will  allow  me  to  adhere  to.  If  I  can  and 
will  leave  sooner,  I  can  still  forward  to  Letzlingen  on  Thurs- 
day some  pretext  or  other  that  I  may  consider  valid,  "His 
Lordship  begs  to  be  excused ;  he  has  taken  ship  for  France. " 
.  .  .  To-day  the  weather  has  been  charming — sunshine,  even 
warm.  The  garden  is  still  pretty  well  foliaged ;  the  cherry- 
trees  of  a  reddish  tint,  the  lindens  yellow,  the  numerous 
wild  maples  in  the  thicket  are  pale  yellow,  the  oaks  still 

187 


THE   LOVE    LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK       [Nov. 

green,  and  the  acacias  full  and  dark-green  as  in  June. 
On  the  whole,  green  still  predominates,  and  the  trees  re- 
tain their  foliage,  though  there  is  the  rustling  of  autumn 
under  foot.  I  have  given  Bellin  instructions  as  to  what 
he  is  to  plant  in  the  bosket,  and  eight  or  nine  more  young 
chestnuts  in  the  great  avenue.  .  .  .  Farewell,  my  beloved 
angel.  Next  week,  at  any  rate,  whether  at  its  beginning 
or  its  end,  I  hope  to  hold  you  in  these  arms  of  mine,  and  the 
children,  too.  Much  love  to  mother  and  father.  I  shall 
bring  along  the  cigar-case,  even  though  it  is  moid,  apres 
diner;  otherwise  it  will  still  be  the  wrong  one.  Good-night, 
my  darling;  to-morrow  I  have  dike  inspection,  so  I  must 
do  a  little  more  writing.     God  preserve  you  and 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


BERLIN,  Sunday  Morning. 
(Postmarked  November  16,  '50.) 

MY  MOST  BELOVED  NAN,— If  you  have  not  trusted 
implicitly  in  God,  you  have  had  a  needless  alarm.  For 
the  present  there  is  not  the  least  probability  of  war; 
so  little  that  there  appears  to  be  some  embarrassment 
about  getting  rid  of  the  masses  of  troops  in  a  decent  way. 
On  the  principal  question  at  issue,  how  matters  shall  be 
handled  in  Germany  hereafter,  the  Austrians  have  yielded ; 
so,  too,  their  troops  in  Hesse  will  remain  for  the  present 
and  ours  will  keep  the  three  Prussian  highways  through 
Hesse  occupied.  The  Hessian  and  Holstein  matters, 
moreover,  are  not  of  sufficient  interest  to  Prussia,  or  to  our 
party  in  particular,  to  make  it  profitable  to  sacrifice  people 
for  them,  and  soldiers  at  that.  I  arrived  here  day  before 
yesterday  at  10  P.  M. ;  went  at  once  for  Stockhausen  ;  did 
not  find  him;  then  to  Manteuffel  (and  again  in  travelling 

188 


1850]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF    BISMARCK 

attire,  as  I  either  left  the  key  at  R.  or  lost  it),  who  asked 
me  not  to  go  to  Stendal  at  all,  as  the  Chamber  people  were 
urgently  needed  here ;  and,  as  I  awoke  yesterday  morning 
with  a  raging  headache,  I  did  not  go.  During  the  day  I 
heard  from  all  well-informed  quarters  that  there  was  no 
probability  of  war,  certainly  not  for  the  present;  so  I  re- 
mained here  quietly,  and  am  only  writing  to  Stendal ;  1 
have  also  written  the  major  asking  why  Hildebrand  is 
not  on  hand,  and  that  if  he  is  to  come  they  should  send 
the  order  to  him  at  Reinfeld ;  if  he  receives  it,  he  must  leave 
at  once.  Mousquetaire  can  stay  at  home  for  the  present. 
The  armaments  are  continued  until  the  negotiations  with 
Austria  are  really  concluded,  provided  the  Austrians  do 
not  dismiss  their  troops  sooner.  The  immediate  cause  of 
the  mobilization  was  that  Austria  drafted  one  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  men,  and  that  eighty  thousand  Austrians 
in  all  are  posted  in  Bavaria  and  Bohemia,  who  could  be 
before  Berlin  in  two  weeks'  time,  without  anything  oppos- 
ing them.  .  .  .  The  King  and  the  Prince  of  Prussia  are  for 
war,  and  the  Ministers  have  a  hard  time  to  oppose  it  (but 
nothing  must  be  said  to  any  one  about  that,  except  to  your 
parents) ;  the  Chambers,  if  they  are  very  reckless,  can  still 
bring  about  war ;  but  it  is  hardly  probable.  My  position  in 
the  squadron  will  be  filled,  and  if  it  does  come  to  blows  un- 
expectedly, I  shall  be  utilized  somewhere  else.  God  protect 
you  and  ours  henceforth  with  His  true  love. 

Your  most  faithful  forever,  V.  B. 

Do  not  worry  about  my  health ;  I  am  very  well  to-day, 
and  only  had  a  headache  yesterday  because  I  had  fool- 
ishly eaten  nothing  on  the  road.  I  have  still  much  writ- 
ing to  do.  I  shall  be  with  you  at  Christmas,  as  I  never 
doubted. 

189 


the  love  letters  of  Bismarck     [Mov. 

BERLIN,  Monday  Evening,  November  18,  '50. 
MOST  BELOVED  NAN,— I  wanted  to  write  you  yes- 
terday and  to-day,  but  my  soles  are  still  burning,  I  may 
say  with  the  Moor  in  "Fiesco";  just  at  present  this  is  a 
scene  of  the  most  miserable  intrigues  one  can  imagine. 
Gotha,  the  bureaucracy — yea,  it  is  sad  to  relate,  the  court 
— all  are  working  together  for  Manteuffel's  downfall,  but 
God  has  given  me  leasonable  hope  that  they  will  not  suc- 
ceed. Manteuffel's  fall  would  mean,  just  now,  a  return  of 
the  Radowitz  principle,  defended  by  straw  puppets  whom 
he  leads — war  with  all  monarchical  states,  in  the  back- 
ground revolutionary  imperialism,  whose  mantle  now, 
after  years  of  preparation  by  Radowitz,  is  perhaps  more 
dazzling  than  before.  If  M.  remains,  there  is  every  pros- 
pect of  an  earlj7,  honorable  peace,  whose  main  feature 
would  be  that  Prussia  and  Austria  would  become  recon- 
ciled to  each  other,  with  entirely  equal  rights,  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  small  states.  I  pity  Manteuffel;  he  looks 
like  a  candidate  for  nervous  fever,  or  something  worse, 
when  he  gets  tired  at  night.  From  the  most  diverse  quar- 
ters people  feel  authorized  to  call  him  cowardly  and  cor- 
rupt; even  his  two  Radowitz  colleagues  arc  intriguing 
against  him,  and  he  goes  his  own  way  with  Stockhausen, 
quite  undisturbed.  All  day  yesterday  I  manipulated  the 
Centre,  with  unhoped-for  success,  mainly  because  diplo- 
matic communications  "had  placed  me  in  a  position"  to 
make  clear  their  total  ignorance  of  the  state  of  affairs.  I 
send  this  to  Bernard,  who  wants  news,  and  my  time  is 
very  limited.  1  beg  Bernard  to  send  this  along  immedi- 
ately. Hearty  love  goes  with  it.  So  far  as  can  at  present 
be  foreseen,  Manteuffel  will  surely  retain  a  majority  in  the 
first  Chamber,  and  pretty  certainly  in  the  second,  and  then 
all  is  well,  even  if,  contrary  to  expectation,  war  should 

190 


1850]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF    BISMARCK 

still  come ;  then  we  shall  probably  only  have  Austria  and 
Bavaria  against  us,  and  for  them,  with  God's  help,  we  are 
quite  strong  enough.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

The  preparations  will  not  cease  until  we  have  attained 
what  we  desire. 

BERLIN,  November  22,  '50. 

Like  last  year,  my  darling,  I  am  writing  you  at  the  green 
table  directly  under  the  platform,  amid  the  noise  and  dis- 
turbance of  the  Chamber.  Pardon  my  letters  being  rarer 
now  than  from  Schonhausen ;  my  longing  for  you,  when- 
ever I  have  a  moment's  quiet  in  the  confusion,  remains  the 
same.  All  the  occupation  and  intrigue  of  the  year  1848  is 
as  nothing  to  these  days.  So  jar  no  one  here  has  any 
doubts  of  peace,  although  from  morning  till  night  I  have 
had  to  defend  its  necessity  against  quite  sensible  people 
with  the  same  warmth  with  which  I  disputed  last  night 
against  General  Gerlach  for  the  necessity  of  war  under 
certain  circumstances  (i.  e.,  excessive  Austrian  imperti- 
nence). We  both  became  very  angry;  so  did  even  Hans, 
who  quite  agreed  with  me.  Gerlach  takes  altogether  a 
lawyer's  view  of  the  matter,  and  considers  Austria  to  be 
in  the  right.  But  we  cannot  permit  one  hundred  thousand 
Bavarians  and  Austrians  to  post  themselves  between  our 
eastern  and  western  provinces.  Russia  seems  to  support, 
so  far,  all  our  demands  that  are  prompted  by  a  feeling  of 
military  pride,  as  well  as  our  claims  for  enlargement  of 
power;  if  only  Ilolstein  becomes  quiet,  and  we  drop  the 
parliamentary  confederation. 

1  am  well,  and  this  hanying  makes  me,  happily,  smaller 
in  girth.  .  .  .  Farewell,  my  love.  God  preserve  you  and 
ours.     Love  to  all.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

191 


THE   LOVE    LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Nov. 

BERLIN,  November  24,  '50. 
MY  BELOVED  NAN, — It  seems  to  me  as  though  1  had 
not  written  to  you  for  an  eternity,  but,  when  I  calculate,  it 
was  day  before  yesterday;  since  then  I  have  experienced, 
talked,  and  done  much,  so  that  it  seems  to  me  like  a  fort- 
night. To  my  knowledge,  there  never  was  a  time  when 
the  fate  of  seventy  millions  of  people  stood  on  the  pinnacle 
of  chance,  as  it  does  here  at  present;  every  moment  pre- 
sents a  different  picture.  This  morning  1  ordered  field 
equipments  for  myself  at  the  cobbler's  and  tailor's,  looked 
for  horses,  and  was  just  about  to  write  for  Mousquetaire, 
and  this  afternoon  peace  seems  to  be  again  quite  near,  al- 
most certain;  Sesselberg,  who,  like  all  citizens,  at  heart 
desires  peace  at  any  price,  has  cried  twice  from  fright,  on 
my  telling  him  that  my  long  boots  must  be  ready  in  the 
evening,  and  twice  wanted  to  embrace  me  when  1  revoked 
the  order.  If  we  remain  at  peace,  God  has  deemed  me 
worthy  to  assist  in  it,  because  diplomats  and  Ministers 
find  in  me,  as  they  did  in  '48,  a  convenient  and  unofficial 
mediator,  through  whom  it  is  easier  to  negotiate  than  by 
official  notes.  1  have  sent  what  I  may  call  a  special  envoy 
to  our  old  friend  with  the  big  feet,  namely,  the  husband  of 
your  most  respected  friend,  who  sends  you  cordial  regards ; 
1  put  him  on  the  train  at  twelve  last  night,  and  this  morning 
at  seven  1  was  again  negotiating  with  the  wife,  who  must, 
nolens  volens,  help  diplomatize.  War  would  now  be  rank 
nonsense,  and  would  result  from  the  very  first  in  our  gov- 
ernment making  a  slide  of  ten  miles  farther  towards  the 
left.  .  .  .  After  the  death  of  hundreds  of  thousands  and  the 
squandering  of  a  hundred  millions,  the  present  grounds 
of  quarrel  would  seem  trifles  to  any  one  in  retrospect,  while 
the  devastation  of  Europe  for  their  sake  would  appear  to  be 
sacrilege.     All  are  agreed  on  the  principal  matters,  the 

192 


1850]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

future  of  Germany;  the  only  question  is  whether  and  to 
what  degree  we  shall  abandon  the  occupation  of  Kassel, 
which  was  undertaken  on  Radowitz's  initiative,  against 
the  law  of  nations  and  the  Constitution  of  the  Confedera- 
tion, which  we  ourselves  have  recognized  as  valid.  Al- 
ready they  have  practically  agreed  on  joint  occupation,  and 
yet  for  the  sake  of  such  bagatelles  there  still  remains  the 
gravest  danger  that  conservative  armies,  which  love  and 
respect  each  other,  will  tear  each  other  to  pieces,  and  that 
Germany's  destinies  will  be  intrusted  to  strangers,  as 
must  inevitably  happen  in  case  of  a  rupture  between 
ourselves  and  Austria.  England  admonishes  us  to  peace 
and  leaves  us  in  the  lurch;  France  wants  her  president 
to  take  the  imperial  crown  in  Cologne  Cathedral,  and 
our  own  ally  is  il  re  traditore  (as  both  parties  call  him 
in  Turin)  and  the  democracy  of  all  countries.  Robert 
Blum's  bust,  draped  with  black-and-white  sashes  and  cock- 
ades, is  the  emblem  by  which  members  of  the  Berlin  militia, 
and  democrats  of  all  countries  here,  at  Frankfort-on-the- 
Main,  and  elsewhere,  celebrate  their  festivities  and  swear 
vengeance  on  monarchs ;  to  this  has  Prussia  grown.  It  is 
for  these  people  we  shall  be  victorious,  if  we  are  victorious  ; 
and  every  democrat  will  exhibit  his  wounds  to  the  King  as 
an  unpaid  bill,  when,  with  his  help,  we  have  conquered. 
1  cannot  restrain  my  tears  when  1  reflect  what  has  become 
of  my  pride,  my  joy,  my  fatherland,  the  faithful,  brave, 
honest  Prussian  nation,  intoxicated  by  the  giddy  cup  which 
they  call  Prussian  honor,  in  the  leading-strings  of  a  gang  of 
Rhenish  place-hunters  and  scoffing  democrats.  "  1  know  of 
no  honor  which  begins  where  ordinary  common-sense  ends," 
Stockhausen  said  to  a  high  personage  who  grossly  insulted 
him,  and  J  know  of  no  honor  which  consists  in  damning 
the  path  of  revolution  in  words  and  following  it  in  deeds. 
N  193 


THE  LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK      [Nov. 

1  cannot  be  undisturbed  for  a  moment;  there  are  un- 
conscionable people  who  consider  me  a  bureau  of  newsy 
gossip,  sit  for  hours  and  smoke,  until  I  openly  request 
them  to  leave  me.  Now  I  must  go  again  to  Manteuffel; 
to-day  or  to-morrow  it  must  be  decided  whether  he  or 
Ladenberg  remains. 

The  25th. — To-day  the  prospects  of  peace  have  drawn 
very  near.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  to-morrow  Manteuffel 
will  have  a  conference  with  Schwarzenberg  at  Oderberg, 
but  the  ambition  of  Frau  von  Ladenberg  to  pose  as  Countess 
of  Brandenburg,  and  the  Prince  of  Prussia's  passion  for 
war,  may  quite  as  suddenly  rob  us  again  of  the  prospect  of 
peace.  As  yet  Hans  and  1  have  not  had  a  minute's  time 
to  look  for  lodgings.  The  jacket,  etc.,  and  your  dear  little 
letter  I  received  to-day,  and  unfortunately  burned  it  at 
once,  as  1  have  no  locker.  Now  I  don't  know  the  four 
remedies  for  boys;  camomile  I  send  at  once,  and  shall 
ask  Bucking;  order  the  rest,  prepaying  postage,  at  the 
Unicorn  Pharmacy — the  street  is  Kurstrasse,  1  believe,  but  it 
is  unnecessary  to  mention  it.  I  read  daily  in  the  little 
Testament,  and  yesterday  I  listened  to  a  noble  sermon  by 
Biichsel,  cutting  to  the  quick,  Psalm  xc,  verse  12,  festival 
for  the  dead.  He  spoke  strongly  against  war.  I  pray 
for  you  and  the  children.     Farewell,  my  angel. 

Your  faithful  V.  B. 

Are  you,  then,  in  need  of  treatment  for  yourself? 


B.,  November  27,  '50. 
My  DARLING, — My  horses  are  not  yet  to  leave,  but 
must  keep  in  marching  order;   things  look  quite   peace- 
able  to-day.     Manteuffel   has  a  conference   with  Prince 

194 


1850]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS  OF  BISMARCK 

Schwarzenberg  on  the  frontier  to-morrow,  which  of  itself 
is  great  progress.  Hildebrand  is  to  leave  if  ordered,  but 
then  some  one  must  be  found  who  can,  if  necessary,  start 
at  a  moment's  notice  with  the  horses. 

You  have  doubtless  received  my  Bucking  letter;  I  shall 
send  the  Russian  leather ;  if  I  should  go  out  with  the  army, 
you  will  receive  the  rent-roll.  1  am  still  of  opinion  that  I 
shall  be  here  at  Christmas.  1  am  well,  but  am  anxious 
about  the  boy,  and  have  election  and  diplomatic  business 
day  and  night.  Manteuffel  asked  yesterday  to  be  dis- 
missed ;  that  was  refused,  therefore  his  politics  are  on  top 
to-day ;  God  grant  it  may  last ;  may  He  preserve  you  and 
restore  our  youngster.     1  am  well,  but  tired. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


BERLIN,  December  7,  '50. 

My  Heart,  MY  DEAR,— I  shall  ask  you  by  word  of 
mouth,  with  cogent  reasons,  to  forgive  me  for  writing 
you  so  seldom  and  hurriedly ;  and  will  only  tell  you  that  1 
love  you,  and  shall  love  you  forever.  Give  thanks  with 
me  to  the  Lord  who  grants  us  peace,  and  has  not  denied 
His  blessing  to  my  own  modest  work.  Tuesday,  the  10th, 
I  think  it  is,  I  expect  to  leave  here  early,  and  therefore  beg 
for  horses  for  Wednesday.  If  1  only  knew  what  to  bring 
along  for  you,  my  heart!  Should  1  have  to  stay  here  a 
day  longer,  I  shall  write  to  the  inn-keeper  at  Schlawe  that 
the  horses  are  to  wait.  Privy-Councillor-of-Justice  Poltz 
will  probably  be  made  Minister  of  Agriculture,  Raumer 
Minister  of  the  Interior,  Manteuffel  Prime  Minister ;  Uech- 
tritz  cultus.   Ladenberg  goes.  A  thousand  hearty  greetings. 

Your  most  faithful 

v.  B. 

195 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF    BISMARCK     [Jan. 

(Postmarked  December  30,  '50.) 
MY  DARLING,— The  mail  does  not  leave  on  the  7th, 
but  on  the  5th,  via  Stolp;  so  I  came  too  late.  1  could  not 
turn  back  to-day,  the  horses  were  tired,  and  to-morrow  it 
would  only  mean  riding  back  and  forth.  1  am  feeding 
them  here  at  Venzke;  and  shall  then  ride  to  Reddentin, 
to  go  on  to-morrow  about  noon,  bjT  stage.  That  is  very 
annoying;  perhaps  I  may  see  Albert  still.  Who  knows 
what  good  may  come  of  it  ?  From  Kiilz  1  shall  again  write 
you  a  word,  my  angel.  Would  that  1  had  remained,  but 
then,  perhaps  1  should  be  too  late  to-morrow.  God  keep 
you  from  illness.  Hearty  greetings  to  F.  and  M.  I  might 
have  inquired  beforehand,  if  I  were  what  I  am  not,  a  pru- 
dent man ;  but  I  am  your  dearest,  nevertheless. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


BERLIN,  January  4,  1851. 
1  have  just  now,  my  dear,  received  your  letter  of  the  1st 
and  2d,  and  am  very  much  worried  over  the  illness  of  our 
dear  little  midget.  I  still  hope  that  it  will  prove  to  be  a 
result  of  the  Christmas  indigestion;  but  then  it  may  be 
scarlet  -  fever,  by  the  symptoms  you  mention.  I  have 
spoken  to  a  few  people  here  who  know  scarlet-fever,  who 
in  some  degree  quiet  my  apprehensions,  since  the  disease, 
while  at  present  widespread,  is  mild  in  its  attacks.  Do 
write  me,  if  possible,  a  line  every  day,  as  to  her  condition  ; 
if  you  wish  it,  I  will  come  over,  in  case  the  thing  becomes 
worse.  It  is  not  necessary  to  remind  me  to  remember  little 
Marie  in  my  prayers ;  I  do  so  daily,  and  trust  to  the  Lord 

that  He  will  not  try  us  beyond  our  strength I  have 

again  got  into  the  old  hurry,  having  been  up  to-day  before 
daylight,  and  to  bed  at  one  yesterday.     How  painful  it  is  to 

196 


1851]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK 

me  that  you  spent  New  Year's  Eve  so  sorrowfully !  I  was, 
in  fact,  at  Kiilz,  and  drank  punch  in  which  Tarragon  vin- 
egar had  been  mixed  by  mistake.  But  take  care  of  your 
health,  my  angel,  and  don't  presume  on  your  strength;  it 
will  follow  you  up  later,  even  if  you  don't  feel  it  at  once ;  you 
are  too  much  weakened  from  nursing.  I  write  you  in  the 
confusion  of  the  presidential  election,  with  people  next  to 
me  who  look  into  my  letter  from  right  and  left,  and  inter- 
rupted every  moment  by  curious  questioners.  Hearty 
greetings  to  father  and  mother.  Let  nothing  disturb  you 
in  the  belief  that  1  love  }Tou  as  a  part  of  myself,  without 
which  1  would  not  and  cannot  live,  at  least  what  one  may 
call  living ;  1  am  afraid  1  should  never  amount  to  anything 
that  will  please  God  if  1  did  not  have  you;  you  are  my 
anchor  on  the  good  side  of  the  shore ;  if  it  gives  way,  may 
God  have  compassion  on  my  soul!  May  God's  mercy 
help  us  graciously  through  every  trouble,  and  especially 
allow  our  dear  little  child  to  abide  with  us  and  recover. 
Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


BERLIN,  January  7,  1851. 
For  four  days,  my  darling,  I  have  been  in  the  utmost 
anxiety,  and  after  your  last  letter  it  could  not  be  other- 
wise. Has  little  Marie  the  scarlet-fever?  Does  she  live? 
Are  all  well?  Why  do  I  receive  no  news?  Owing  to 
these  questions  I  can't  go  to  sleep,  and  I  lie  awake  at 
night;  I  must  at  last  believe  that  you,  my  heart,  have  be- 
come ill  from  exertion  and  night-vigils,  else  you  would  not 
be  so  merciless  as  to  write  me  that  the  child  has  scarlet- 
fever  and  then  be  silent  four  days;  every  morning  I  have 
gone  to  the  post-office,  and  always  in  vain.  I  should  scold 
much  if  I  did  not  believe  that  you  yourself  are  ill,  or  per- 

197 


THE    LOVE    LETTERS    OF    BISMARCK     [Jan. 

haps  sad  and  anxious.  Surely  you  will  not  keep  bad  news 
from  me ;  when  one  knows  the  disease,  fancy  brings  daily 
the  worst  news  possible.  If  you  are  sick,  some  one  else 
might  mercifully  drop  me  a  line,  for  I  can't  endure  this 
uncertainty.  There  is  nothing  terrible  which  I  have  not 
experienced  in  spirit  during  these  days.  For  the  rest  I  am 
prrysically  well.  Yesterday  I  dined  with  the  King ;  he 
and  the  Queen  were  very  gracious  to  me.  In  the  Houses 
no  improvement  is  apparent  since  December  4th,  and  a  dis- 
solution, even  if  delayed  for  some  weeks,  seems  inevitable. 
How  I  long  to  be  with  you  again !  If  the  dissolution  does 
not  come,  we  can  no  longer  remain  parted  thus.  Yester- 
day, in  prayer,  I  thought  I  was  assured  that  all  was  well 
with  you  and  Marie;  during  the  night  and  to-day  I  am 
again  anxious  beyond  measure.  You  know  not,  unfort- 
unately not,  how  I  love  you,  else  you  would  know  how  I 
suffer  in  this  uncertainty;  after  all,  I  am  most  anxious 
about  you.  Marie's  condition  may  since  have  been  better 
or  worse ;  anxiety  and  night- watching  have  probably  got 
the  better  of  you,  and  therefore  I  receive  no  news.  Do, 
please,  write  me,  and  never  let  me  be  again  so  tantalized  as 
in  these  four  da}Ts ;  you  have  no  idea  what  it  means  to  be  far 
away  from  all  one  loves  and  to  receive  a  letter  containing 
news  of  a  deadly,  dangerous  sickness,  and  nothing  there- 
after for  four  mails.  God  grant  that  all  my  sad  fancies  are 
empty  and  groundless,  and  that  to-morrow  I  shall  receive 
good  news,  or  neics,  at  any  rate,  for  any  is  better  than 
none.  The  Lord  bless  and  keep  you  and  all  I  love.  Do 
not  think  I  am  angnT;  I  am  only  sad  and  apprehensive, 
and  I  should  not  love  you  if  I  were  not  so.  Farewell,  my 
heart,  and  write  to 

Your  most  faithful 

v.  B. 
198 


1851]      THE   LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK 

BERLIN,  Wednesday,  January  8,  '51. 
To-day,  at  last,  my  love,  I  have  received  your  letter  of 
Saturday;  it  is  too  bad  about  Heidt;  four  days  en  route. 
If  the  news  does  not  entirely  reassure  me,  at  any  rate  it 
does  not  seem  to  be  scarlet  -  fever ;  that  goes  on  rising 
steadily  without  change.  You  don't  write  what  the  doctor 
says  about  it.  Of  course,  prayer  is  better  than  pills,  but 
don't  neglect  the  human  help  that  God  offers,  and  don't 
spare  any  expense  in  this  matter.  .  .  .  Oh,  my  beloved  heart, 
if  we  were  only  safely  reunited  again !  I  pray  to  God,  in 
the  Chamber  and  on  the  street,  that  it  may  please  Him  not 
to  take  from  us  that  which  He  so  graciously  gave  to  us. 
On  Friday  I  must  go  to  Genthin.  Hearty  greetings  to 
father  and  mother.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


BERLIN,  January  15,  '51. 
.  .  .  Praise  and  glory  be  to  God  that  He  has  heard 
our  prayers ;  may  He  also  hereafter  not  look  upon  our 
sins,  but  be  gracious  to  us.  A  thousand  thanks  for  hav- 
ing written  to  me  so  faithfully,  and  a  thousand  thanks  to 
all  who  have  faithfully  helped  us  to  bear  our  troubles !  .  .  . 
I  believe  I  have  not  written  you  for  three  days;  forgive 
me,  but  immediately  on  getting  out  of  bed  I  must  usually 
go  on  the  street,  to  the  bank,  to  Ministers,  to  Wagner, 
and  go  home  to  get  hurriedly  into  a  dress-coat  for  dinner, 
and  then  not  again  before  midnight,  including  com- 
mission, committee,  and  diplomatic  evening  -  conspiracy. 
Then  I  think  I  shall  write  to-morrow  morning,  and  already 
before  rising  some  mortal  of  a  Senfft  or  a  bank  personage 
is  on  hand.  I  often  receive  several  calls,  even  from  entire 
strangers,  while  in  bed,  because  whenever  an57  one  is  in 
the  room  I  do  not  get  up  without  a  screen.     Is  General 

199 


THE    LOVE    LETTERS    OF    BISMARCK      [Jan. 

Griinwald,  who  is  here  now,  an  acquaintance  of  yours? 
The  Emperor's  Adjutant-General,  somewhat  taller  than  I, 
about  fifty  years  old,  pock-marked,  a  small  mustache,  says, 
in  his  Esthonian  fashion,  "  The  Ke-iser  will  be-e  much 
beholden  to  me  when  I  tell  him  about  you."  Your  letters, 
my  sweetheart,  are  not  lost,  but  they  take  three  or  four 
daj^s  in  coming ;  I  have  made  a  complaint  about  it.  I  have 
now  had  news  almost  daily,  my  obedient  angel ;  only  after 
the  2d  you  did  not  write  for  three  days.  ...  I  write  from 
the  Chamber,  after  having  received  to-day  (Wednesday) 
your  consoling  epistle  of  Saturdaj^.  Once  more,  my  sweet- 
heart, we  thank  the  faithful  and  merciful  Lord  on  our  knees 
for  having  left  us  our  dear  ones,  and  rely  hereafter  on  His 
gracious  protection.  Hearty  greetings  to  pa  and  ma. 
Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


(Postmarked  BERLIN,  January  20,  '51.) 
MY  SWEETHEART, — It  is  quite  impossible  that  you 
have  not  had  a  letter  from  me  for  four  days ;  three  are  the 
very  most  I  have  omitted,  and  that  but  once.  For  the  rest, 
yo\x  can  gather  from  this  how  I  felt  when  I  read  of  scarlet- 
fever,  and  then  nothing  for  four  da3Ts.  I  have  this  long 
time  been  complaining  about  the  mails,  but  it  is  of  no  use. 
Last  night  I  was  with  the  Stolbergs ;  she  is  very  kind,  but 
not  well,  and  wants  to  be  remembered  to  you.  I  am  much 
obliged  to  mammy  for  her  kind  letter.  Hans  laughs  at 
me  when  I  tell  him  he  should  write  to  you;  he  thinks  a 
letter  from  me  every  Sunday  is  quite  sufficient.  .  .  . 

Farewell.  God's  mercy  will  be  with  you  and  the  children, 
and  will  again  give  you  strength ;  of  that  I  am  confident, 
or  I  should  be  good  for  nothing  here.  I  thank  you  for  hav- 
ing alwaj's  honestly  informed  me  how  the  children  are; 

200 


1851]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

do  the  same  hereafter,  but  each  of  your  letters,  except  the 
two  last,  awoke  and  kept  alive  in  me  the  idea  that  while  I 
read  it  (three  days  pass,  you  know),  our  little  boy  was  per- 
haps no  longer  alive;  the  same  with  to-day's  letter.  So 
there  is  not  much  pleasure  in  "  sociability. "  I  have  not  yet 
seen  Melissa.  1  will  attend  to  the  collars.  I  have  not  yet 
had  time  for  Keudell.  God  protect  3Tou,  my  angel,  and  help 
you  to  bear  His  trials.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

Take  great  care — more  than  seems  necessary — of  the 
children ;  particularly  shield  them  from  cold. 


BERLIN,  January  22,  '51. 
MY  POOR  SWEETHEART, — You  have  so  much  anxiety 
and  care  to  endure!  But  your  letter  has  reassured  me. 
Marie's  attack  of  quinsy  seems  to  me  like  a  familiar  friend, 
when  I  compare  it  with  scarlet-fever,  and  by  God's  grace 
the  latter  appears  in  Bub's  case,  too,  to  be  past  the  critical 
stage,  for  which  I  thank  the  Lord  with  my  whole  soul.  I 
cannot  understand  why  you  received  no  news  for  five  days ; 
I  failed  to  write  for  only  three  days,  and  that  with  the 
knowledge  that  the  Neu  Presse  would  inform  you  of  my  do- 
ing one  and  another  thing  in  the  Chamber,  and  consequent- 
ly that  I  was  alive  and  well.  I  am  extremely  sorry  that 
your  anxieties  should  have  been  increased  by  this  break- 
in  the  correspondence ;  it  may  easily  happen,  for  that  mat- 
ter, that  one  letter  travels  faster  than  the  following  one, 
but  of  course  I  am  never  seriously  ill,  so  there  is  no  ground 
for  anxiety  about  me.  To  be  sure,  I  have  to  dine  and  sup 
daily,  but  I  hope  you  do  the  same.  Mammy,  to  whom 
many  thanks  for  her  letter,  cannot  refrain  from  exclaiming 
at  the  contrast  between  your  life  and  mine ;  let  her  reflect 

201 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK       [JAN- 

whether  she  would  not  a  thousand  times  rather  have  been 
with  you  if  she  had  known  you  were  at  a  distance  and  ill. 
When  those  we  love  are  in  danger,  taking  care  of  them  is 
the  more  toilsome  part,  but  it  is  harder,  much  harder,  at 
least  for  me,  at  such  times  to  have  to  go  without  the  conso- 
lation of  being  with  them  and  of  seeing  them  about  me, 
and  to  have  to  say  to  myself  that  if  the  children  die  to-da}7, 
Wednesday,  I  shall  not  know  it  before  Saturday.  One  ex- 
periences in  fancy  every  day  all  that  in  fact  can  happen 
only  once.  .  .  .  And  now,  listen! 

I  don't  want  to  scold  you,  but  I  most  explicitly  demand 
of  you,  according  to  the  obedience  which  by  the  word  of 
God  you  owe  me,  that  for  at  least  six  hours  out  of  every 
twenty-four,  counting  from  midnight  to  midnight,  you 
shall  be  in  bed  and  asleep,  or,  at  least,  honestly  try  to  sleep, 
no  matter  what  happens.  If  you  don't  want  me  to  doubt 
your  love,  you  will  follow  these  instructions ;  it  is  necessary 
and  rational  to  do  so,  if  you  don't  want  death  to  take  you 
from  me. 

Farewell,  my  dearly  beloved  sweetheart;  thank  every 
one,  and  particularly  our  dear  mother,  once  more,  for  their 
faithfulness  in  this  trying  time ;  may  God's  mercy  preserve 
you  and  keep  you  well,  as  I  am  firmly  convinced  He  will 
help  the  children  to  recover. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


BERLIN,  January  23,  '51. 
.  .  .  Last  night,  to  mommy's  sorrow  be  it  said,  I  was  at 
three  parties,  two  of  them  for  political  intrigue,  and  the  last 
for  recreation  at  Malle's,  where  I  again  saw  Theresa  Rabe, 
nee  Schenk,  arriving  after  eleven  and  staying  till  one, 
drinking  tea  and  chatting  about  dancing-lessons  and  old 

202 


1851J      THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

times.  How  one  does  get  old ! — that  is  twenty  years  ago 
now,  and  if  at  that  time  any  one  had  considered  me  as  not 
grown  up  I  should  have  thought  it  an  insult.  You  were 
then  four  years  old ;  how  wonderfully  has  God  led  me  since 
then !  I  now  hope  and  believe  that  He  will  not  again  let  me 
go.  Dearest  love  to  mother  and  father.  When  opportunity 
offers  I  will  get  hold  of  the  little  Sauer  boy*  of  the  Wilhelm- 
strasse,  and  take  him  to  the  opera — yes,  to  the  Italiana. 
Only  I  hardly  have  time  for  it.     God  protect  you. 

Your  most  faithful,  loving  V.  B. 

BERLIN,  January  25. 
My  DEAR, —  .  .  .  Yesterday  I  did  not  receive  your  letter 
until  the  afternoon ;  finally,  after  a  tussle  from  eight  to  one 
with  the  Jews  of  the  shipping  department,  I  had  two  hours 
in  which  to  take  a  walk,  and  wandered  through  every  nook 
and  corner  of  the  Thiergarten,  in  memory  of  school-times 
and  our  joint  promenades  and  resting-places  on  the  benches 
by  the  quiet  water.  It  did  me  real  good  to  hear  the  rustling 
of  the  trees  once  more ;  now  I  want  to  take  a  brisk  walk  for 
at  least  an  hour  every  day ;  this  eternal  indoor  and  salon 
atmosphere  oppresses  me  and  makes  me  dizzy.  I  have  to 
think  much  of  the  poor  Tienchens ;  the  affair  with  Albert 
is  truly  very  sad ;  we  ourselves  know  what  it  means  to 
bring  a  child  safely  through  the  reefs  of  the  first  years, 
followed  by  stormy  youth,  and,  after  having  overcome  all 
that,  to  see  him  struck  down  in  early  manhood  is  some- 
thing terribly  hard  for  a  mother  to  live  to  see.  But  may  God 
help  them  well  through,  and  restore  Albert  to  health!  He 
has  helped  us  with  our  children  hitherto,  and  how  poor  my 
standing  with  Him  compared  with  that  of  Aunt  U.  If     If  it 

*  Son  of  Mr.  Sauer,  the  pastor  at  Old-Kolziglow. 
I  Ulrike — i.  e.,  Frau  von  Below-Reddentin,  n6e  von  Puttkamer. 

203 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK         [Jan. 

were  not  for  those  nuisances  of  reports  on  banking  and  ship- 
ping affairs,  I  should  now  be  with  you ;  the  happy  few  who 
have  escaped  ever}'  committee  appointment  are  all  hurry- 
ing home,  while  I  am  daily  detained,  like  a  bad  school-boy. 
May  God  preserve  our  beloved  mother.  When  she  sa3^s, 
"You  will  understand  it  when  1  am  dead,"  we  tease  her 
about  it ;  but  it  is  a  serious  truth ;  and  when  her  feebleness 
suggests  the  thought  that  she  may  leave  us,  I  feel  in  earnest 
how  many  thanks,  how  many  apologies,  and  how  much  love 
1  owe  her ;  but  the  latter  1  not  only  owe — she  has  it.  Tell 
her  that  from  me;  even  though,  between  two  sensitive 
hearts,  the  love  may  be  covered  over  at  times,  it  is  covered 
only  externally  and  temporarily,  and  I  earnestly  long  to 
see  her  kind,  large  ej^es  resting  searchingly  on  my  face  and 
my  "  sick  hand. "...  God's  protection  be  with  you.  Hearty 
love  to  our  dear  parents. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

BERLIN.  January  29,  '51. 

MY  HEART'S  NAN,— Your  answer  to  "Observer,"  la- 
conic, dateless,  and  unsigned,  was  to-day  received  at 
Hans's,  and  from  it  I  judge  that  at  least  at  the  time  of  its 
despatch  everything,  by  God's  grace,  was  in  order. 

Evening. — I  have  just  returned,  with  Hans,  from  old  Ex- 
cellency Massow,  and  both  of  us  are  using  my  hunting- 
knife  to  do  justice  to  the  fine  sausage  that  came  in  the  pack- 
age of  socks.  Many  thanks  for  everything ;  it  tastes  very 
well,  although  for  the  moment  we  have  no  bread  for  it.  .  .  . 
To-day  1  failed  to  find  Busch,  to  speak  with  him  about 
bathing  the  children.  I  am  afraid  of  it,  and  1  don't  alto- 
gether trust  Thiele;*  dirt  is  always  better  than  disease. 

*  Physician  near  Reinfeld. 
204 


1851]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK 

If  I  find  Busch  to-morrow,  I  will  at  once  write  you  what  lie 
says.  Take  great  care  that  the  urchins  don't  catch  cold, 
otherwise  some  after-trouble  is  so  easily  left,  and  please  do 
not  deprive  yourself  of  sleep;  if  you  can't  do  so  at  night, 
sleep  during  the  day,  going  regularly  to  bed ;  do  me  this 
kindness,  otherwise  you  will  not  bear  up  under  it,  and  when 
the  tension  of  anxiety  relaxes  you  will  collapse,  and  every- 
thing will  follow  which  you  don't  suspect  now.  When  will 
the  time  come  when  God  will  permit  us  to  dwell  continually 
under  the  same  roof?  Certainly  things  can't  always  go 
on  this  way ;  but  as  long  as  the  children  are  not  well  there 
is  no  help  for  it,  and  God's  will  be  done,  even  if  we  have  to 
put  our  hands  into  our  purses  and  move  again  to  the  ex- 
tension of  Dorotheenstrasse.  Despite  all  night  noises,  I 
have  still  a  fond  recollection  of  the  ground  floor  in  Behren- 
strasse,  and  I  always  look  in  sorrowfully  whenever  I  pass 
by.  Have  you  received  from  your  adorer  Sigismund*  a 
package  containing  some  fine  liqueurs?  The  heartiest 
love  to  our  parents  and  all  kind  friends.  May  the  Lord 
graciously  protect  you  and  the  children. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


BERLIN,  January  30,  '51. 
I  am  writing  you  in  haste  at  Malle's,  my  angel,  to  say 
that  at  last  I  have  spoken  to  G.  Simon.  He  told  me  that 
he  bathes  those  affected  with  scarlet-fever  only  after  the 
scaling  has  ceased — that  is,  in  the  sixth  week.  He  does  not 
believe  that,  sooner,  it  would  be  positively  harmful ;  some 
even  use  cold  baths  from  the  beginning  in  cases  of  scarlet- 
fever  (but  not  for  my  children) ;  he  says  that  bathing  is 

*  Baron  Arnim. 
205 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK      [Fee. 

beneficial  when  the  skin  is  dry  and  hard,  but  quite  super- 
fluous when  it  is  soft  and  in  perspiration ;  and  that  wash- 
ing will  do  just  as  well.  In  washing  (with  warm  water), 
each  limb  is  washed  separately,  while  the  rest  remain  cov- 
ered, and  is  then  dried  and  dressed,  to  be  followed  by  an- 
other. If  a  bath  is  given,  it  should  not  be  too  warm,  only 
tepid,  a  few  (three  to  four)  minutes,  and  then  rubbed  with  a 
woollen  cloth.  If  the  skin  is  not  very  hard  and  dry,  Simon 
considers  bathing  as  at  least  superfluous.  Your  nice  little 
letter  and  mother's  fell  out  of  my  stockings  to-day.  I  am 
well.     God  be  with  you  and  the  children. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


BERLIN,  February  3,  '51. 
Still,  my  darling,  the  knick-knacks  have  not  been  de- 
spatched, but  I  have  all  that  1  wanted  to  buy,  only  Malle  is 
still  in  arrears  with  collars  and  toys;  she  must  dance 
every  evening  and  go  horseback-riding  in  the  morning, 
and  then  she  is  so  tired  that  she  can't  stir.  Certainly  I 
can't  buy  mull  collars  myself.  To-day  and  yesterday  I 
have  had  no  letter  from  you ;  I  hope  the  little  chap  is  well, 
but  I  am  no  longer  anxious  about  little  Mollie;  God's  arm 
will  not  be  too  short  to  be  helpful  to  both.  I  am  well ;  so 
is  Hans.  We  devoured  the  sausage  at  bedtime,  without 
bread,  in  three  slices;  the  small  end  was  not  so  good  as 
the  fat  one,  but  the  impression  left  by  the  whole  was  quite 
favorable.  The  pens  I  have  are  too  abominable;  this  is 
the  sixth  that  I  am  throwing  away,  and  no  knife ;  I  must 
close,  and  be  on  the  watch  over  ministerial  responsibility ; 
Hans  talks  as  loud  as  a  trumpet.  God's  gracious  protec- 
tion be  with  you  and  all  the  loved  ones. 

Your  most  faithful  v.  B. 

206 


1851]      THE  LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

BERLIN,  February  6,  '51. 
MY  HEART'S  NANNIE,—  I  am  alive  and  well,  and  love 
you,  and  will  write  you  soon  a  very  long  letter,  in  which 
there  will  be  nothing  but  love.  Ever  since  I  awoke  1  have 
sat  here  quarrelling  with  Bloch  the  Jew;  it  is  now  one 
o'clock,  and  I  utilize  the  opportune  appearance  of  Kunze, 
the  bootblack,  to  give  him  these  two  lines  for  you ;  at  two  1 
am  going  out  for  a  walk,  then  dinner;  then  committees, 
and  many  people  to  be  seen,  diplomatists,  babblers,  dep- 
uties, and  then  tea,  and  to  bed.  So  it  goes  day  by  day; 
once  I  am  out  I  do  not  get  home  again,  and  still  I  never 
finish  what  I  have  on  hand  for  the  day.  Just  now  the  man 
has  given  me  your  note.  How  anxious  you  are  on  Monday, 
and  God  has  already  helped  on  Tuesday !  It  is  quite  im- 
possible that  the  children  should  be  well  so  soon ;  the  sick- 
ness always  lasts  six  weeks  in  scarlet-fever.  God  will  not 
forsake  us,  as  He  has  helped  us  thus  far ;  only  be  glad  in 
your  trust  in  Him,  my  darling ;  He  has  graciously  turned 
aside  the  great  dangers ;  He  will  also  help  us  over  the  small 
ones.  Why  does  that  donkey  want  to  use  iodine  on  the  boy  ? 
Don't  allow  that,  rather  let  Scheunemann  come;  he  doesn't 
drink ;  iodine  is  quite  poisonous.  God  protect  you  all,  and 
particularly  you,  the  dearest  treasure  I  have. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


BERLIN,  February  10,  '51. 
I  have  just  received  your  letter  of  the  7th,  my  angel, 
which,  in  fact,  came  here  yesterday,  because  the  mail  now 
travels  twenty-four  hours  faster,  owing  to  my  complaint. 
My  first  feeling  is  one  of  very  humble  thanks  to  the  Lord 
that  all  is  well  with  you.  Our  little  one  seems  to  be  at  once 
in  mischief,  telling  you  we  are  going  to  stay  here  until  June. 

207 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK       [Feb. 

How  can  she  make  you  believe  such  unpleasant  foolish- 
ness? I  hope  we  shall  be  through  before  April,  if  we  are 
not  dissolved  still  sooner.  I  have  spoken  to  Simon  again 
about  our  youngster ;  he  says  the  gland  swellings  are  en- 
tirely without  danger,  and  that  nothing  should  be  done 
except  to  poultice  them  when  they  are  ready  to  burst; 
therefore,  let  the  infamous  iodine  alone,  otherwise  the  boy 
will  suffer  the  after-effects  for  years,  in  his  teeth  and  else- 
where. Even  if  the  glands  become  hardened,  that  will 
pass  off  without  the  aid  of  medicine.  Did  I  say  that  the 
Countess  Gorz  was  nicer  than  your  dear  rosa  unica  ?  If  so, 
I  probably  said  too  much :  I  can  only  say  I  like  her,  and  I 
wish  you  could  make  her  acquaintance.  Do  not  be  afraid 
that,  after  the  din  which  prevails  here,  solitude  will  weigh 
heavily  on  me ;  certainly  never,  in  company  with  you  and 
the  children  and  parents ;  but  absolute  solitude  is  just  what 
I  often  long  for,  after  a  whole  day's  wild  chase  among  dry, 
dull  documents  and  superficial  chatter;  I  am  only  com- 
fortable when  I  get  to  bed  at  night,  smoke,  and  read,  and 
then  turn  round  to  implore  God  to  take  you  in  Reinfeld 
under  His  protection.  There  is  a  fancy  that  follows  me  in 
all  my  work — to  lie  with  my  head  in  your  lap,  in  a  quite 
solitary,  deep  mountain  ravine,  in  the  warm  summer-time, 
close  to  the  brook,  to  contemplate  the  blue  sky  above  me 
through  the  smoke  of  my  cigar  and  the  tops  of  the  beech- 
trees,  and  to  be  looked  at  and  petted  by  you,  and  for  a  long, 
long  while  to  be  quite  idle.  When  is  that  coming  to  pass? 
In  the  Selke  Valley,  or  where?  The  session  at  which  I 
write  this  is  adjourned,  and  I  am  going  home  again,  to  read 
and  copy  from  books  which  contain  nothing  but  piles  of 
figures.  Farewell.  God  keep  you.  and  let  the  iodine 
alone.  Your  most  faithful  and  very  dear 

v.  B. 
208 


1851]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

BERLIN,  Tuesday  Morning. 
(Postmarked  February  18,  '51.) 

MY  WELL  -  BELOVED,  —  ...  On  Sunday  we  attended 
the  Lutheran  Church.  Hans  was  not  altogether  satisfied 
with  the  sermon ;  then  we  went  to  Lasius,  but  the  ladies  all 
stayed  in  Brandenburg;  then  to  Dutke,*  I39,f  and  we  each 
gave  him  one  rix- dollar  with  which  to  attend  concerts 
with  E.  Kumme;  besides,  I  told  them  that  I  shall  be  at  their 
disposal  when  that  is  all  gone,  or  when  he  needs  anything 
else.  He  cannot  go  with  me,  however,  as  I  have  no  time, 
and  for  two  first-class  tickets  he  can  go  four  times.  The 
boy  was  quite  well  and  very  happy ;  they  seem  to  be  good 
people  there,  even  the  waiter,  who  praised  Dut  as  a  sober, 
saving  boy  who  takes  good  care  of  his  money.  How  small 
the  garden  is  that  used  to  be  my  whole  world !  and  I  can't 
understand  what  has  become  of  the  spaces  through  which 
I  so  often  ran  breathlessly,  and  my  little  garden  with  water- 
cresses  and  Turkish  wheat,  and  all  the  places  where  I  built 
my  now-fallen  air-castles,  and  the  bluish  vapor  of  the  hills 
which  then  lay  on  the  other  side  of  the  board  fence.  The 
trees  were  old  acquaintances.  I  still  remember  their  vari- 
ous kinds  of  fruit.  And  there,  too,  were  the  chickens  which, 
every  time  I  looked  at  them,  made  me  homesick  for  Kniep- 
hof ;  and  then  I  used  to  make  note  of  every  hour,  or  quarter 
of  an  hour,  that  must  elapse  before  vacation  and  the  Stettin 
mail-coach.  How  I  longed,  then,  to  go  out  into  life  and  the 
world.  As  I  stood  in  the  garden  the  whole  parti-colored 
earth  arose  before  my  eyes  as  I  then  imagined  it,  with  its 
woods  and  castles  and  all  the  adventures  that  awaited  me 
in  it,  and  I  could  have  wept  if  prosaic  Hans  had  not  called 
and  importuned  me,  and  made  me  remember  the  fact  which 

*Son  of  Pastor  Sauer.     See  p.  203,  note, 
t  Wilhelmstrasse,  previously  Plamann. 

O  209 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Feb. 

I  now  know  very  well  that  the  garden  is  a  small  spot  in  the 
Wilhelmstrasse,  with  nothing  particular  roundabout  or 
behind  the  fences,  and  that  the  Rabbit  Heath,  where  we 
played  on  Sundays,  is  a  poor,  stupid  pine-wood;  that  the 
"Dornberg"  in  Kniephof  is  sixteen  acres  in  size,  and  that 
we  had  business  with  General  Gerlach.  I  could  sit  for 
hours  in  the  garden  and  dream ;  when  you  come  here  again 
you  must  go  to  it  with  me.  Let  us  humbly  thank  God  that 
the  children  are  getting  on  so  much  better,  and  that  Pie 
does  not  punish  us  through  them  for  our  sins.  On  Sunday 
I  am  to  receive  Communion,  with  Hans,  at  Knaak's.  Hearty 
greetings  to  the  dear  folks,  and  God's  blessing  upon  you, 
my  angel.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

G.  Simon  is  of  opinion  that  iodine  will  not  do  any  harm, 
and  that  it  is  the  best  remedy  for  swollen  glands ;  he  ought 
to  know  more  than  we  do  about  it;  but  don't  use  too  much 
of  it. 

BERLIN,  February  28,  '51. 
You  know,  my  sweetheart,  variety  is  the  spice  of  life, 
therefore  I  am  now  writing  to  you  with  the  red  legislative 
ink  which  is  used  for  correcting  speeches  and  reports.  It 
is  your  favorite  color,  anyway,  even  if  it  is  not  the  exact 
shade.  Despite  all  legislative  cares,  I  am  very  bright  since 
I  know  that  you  are  again  in  a  fair  way  with  the  babies. 
So  true  is  it  that  God  must  do  with  us  as  that  general  of  a 
convict  battalion  did  with  his  men — he  had  them  whipped 
every  other  day,  because  they  then  enjoyed  the  free  days 
so  much.  We  are  too  apt  to  become  ungrateful  for  all 
His  benefits  unless  we  are  reminded  of  the  possibility  of 
loss.  I  am  very  glad  that  we  both  received  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per at  the  same  time ;  I  trust  our  little  Sauer  has  touched 

210 


1851]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

the  depths  of  your  heart,  just  as  Knaak  did  mine ;  I  was 
almost  hopeless  and  helpless  when  it  came  to  the  point, 
and  wanted  to  leave  the  church  because  I  did  not  consider 
myself  worthy  to  join  in  the  ceremony,  but  in  the  final 
prayer  from  the  altar  God  gave  me  leave  and  a  summons, 
too,  and  afterwards  I  was  very  happ}^.  It  had  a  good  in- 
fluence also  on  Hans  ;  he  is  outwardly  much  nicer  since — 
much  more  human.  I  have  no  antipathy  to  him;  at  least, 
it  does  not  come  out,  even  if  1  sometimes  (though  seldom) 
am  angered  at  his  disposition,  so  out  of  harmony  with  mine 
— he  is  too  good  for  me.  .  .  .  To-day  I  was  invited  out  to 
Gross-Kreutz,  but  I  am  voting  quietly  here  in  the  Chamber. 
God  keep  you,  my  beloved  sweetheart.  Love  to  our  parents 
and  Melissa,  and  kiss  the  children  for  me. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Berlin,  March  3,  '51. 
I  have  just  read  your  letter  to  Hans,  my  darling,  and  1 
am  sorry  for  your  poor  eyes ;  that  is  due  to  too  much  night- 
watching.  May  God  have  mercy  on  you,  my  poor  dear, 
that  you  may  not  suffer  always ;  during  your  whole  life 
you  have  never  enjoyed  the  feeling  of  being  entirely  well 
and  free  from  pain ;  certainly  it  will  be  put  down  to  your 
credit  some  time  in  the  next  life,  otherwise  you  would  come 
poorly  off  compared  with  me.  I  suppose  my  eyes  will  then 
be  sore,  since  1  am  now  so  entirely  well  that  1  do  not  even 
suffer  from  heartburn  any  more.  But  how  can  my  little 
good-for-nothing  believe  that  1  took  no  notice  at  all  of  the 
craving  for  photos?  Hans  has  even  less  time  than  1 ;  I 
bothered  your  rose  Elizabeth  about  it  several  times,  but 
she  refused  point-blank,  saying  she  had  had  her  picture 
taken  once  and  is  too  vain  to  do  so  again,  and  that  she 

211 


THE    LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK     [Mar. 

has  become  as  ugly  as  "  a  Pavian."  But  she  has  a  pretty 
fair  portrait  in  oil  which  she  will  send  for  and  have  photo- 
graphed for  you.  Now  you  must  apologize  to  me  for  what 
you  wrote  to  Hans  about  me.  .  .  .  Who  told  you  that  I 
was  passionately  fond  of  dancing?  Don't  trust  the  person 
who  said  so,  for  it  was  not  said  in  a  kindly  spirit,  and  it  is  a 
falsehood,  besides.  .  .  .  I  earnestly  hope  we  shall  be  through 
before  May.  Before  that  time  I  shall  probably  run  over 
on  leave  once  to  my  dear  one.  But  if  the  prospect  regard- 
ing the  criminal  law  changes  again,  and  the  session  bids 
fair  to  last  till  the  end  of  May  or  June,  then  you  will  have 
to  come  here,  anyway,  U137  angel;  there  are  days  when  it 
seems  as  though  1  could  not  bear  my  homesickness  for  you 
and  the  babies,  and  feel  like  resigning  my  commission  and 
hurrying  home.  Then  Hans  scolds  me,  and  I  represent 
to  him  that  his  meeting  again  with  Butzke  and  Schneider 
will  certainly  not  be  very  pleasant.  For  the  rest,  little 
Hans  has  lately  thawed  out,  more  particularly  since  we 
attended  Holy  Communion.  Now  I  must  again  be  on  the 
alert.  Farewell,  my  sweetheart.  God's  blessing  be  with 
you.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Berlin,  March  5,  '51. 
MY  DARLING, —  .  .  .  On  my  advice  Hans  gave  your  letter 
to  Eberhard's  wife  (with  whom  I  have  been  on  familiar 
terms  for  some  time),  and  yesterday  at  the  palace  he  re- 
ceived the  photo  in  exchange  for  it,  and  I  reproached  her 
most  severely  for  not  having  given  it  to  me,  and,  to  con- 
sole me,  she  executed  a  quadrille  with  me.  The  King  took 
occasion  to  call  to  me  as  I  was  standing  before  him,  and 
said,  "  The  Queen  has  been  making  sheep's-eyes  at  you  for 
half  an  hour,  and  you  don't  know  it. "     The  beloved  mother 

212 


1851]      THE    LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

of  my  country  (an  expression  which,  I  regret  to  say,  al- 
ways calls  up  to  me  a  robust  woman  who  feeds  children 
with  bread  and  butter)  spoke  to  me  quite  graciously  and 
kindly;  she  remarked  that  I  had  said  I  danced  only  for 
my  health,  and  she  thought  that  was  pretence,  whereupon 
I  explained  to  her  what  a  miserable  life  I  had  led  during 
the  day.  The  conversation  was  not  at  all  flattering  to  the 
Duchess  Agnes  of  Dessau,  my  partner  at  my  side;  but  I 
could  not  help  it.  At  supper  I  sat  next  to  Don  Carlos  Sa- 
vigny,  who  always  speaks  of  you  ver}T  lovingly,  even  when 
I  am  not  at  hand,  and  who  sends  you  cordial  remembrances. 
Frau  von  Usedom  told  me  that  he  had  called  you  a  very  clever 
and  sensible  icoman.  You  see  that  my  jealousy  of  Carlos 
is  exceeded  by  my  hones ty.  I  drank  lots  of  cold  champagne 
at  his  Majesty's,  drove  there  with  Malle,  and  smoked,  read 
the  newspapers,  then  read  the  118th  Psalm  with  Hans, 
and  slept  very  soundly.  For  Malle 's  sake  I  am  very  glad 
that  Shrovetide  will  end  the  season  of  grand  balls;  she 
devotes  herself  to  them  too  passionately,  and  physical  and 
mental  exhaustion  will  come  after.  .  .  .  Every  time  I  take  up 
my  pen  I  purpose  writing  to  our  dear  parents,  but  it  always 
turns  into  a  letter  to  you ;  as  the  apex  of  the  Reinfeld  tri- 
angle pointing  in  my  direction,  you  may  always  inform 
the  two  other  dear  corners  of  the  triangle  that  I  love  both 
of  them  very  much,  and  implore  God's  blessing  on  them. 
My  idea  is  so  to  arrange  the  leave  of  absence  which  I  pur- 
pose taking  as  to  be  able  to  spend  my  birthday  with  you, 
my  sweetheart.  But  I  shall  hardly  be  able  to  get  away 
for  more  than  a  week ;  already  Hans  is  raising  a  hue  and 
cry  about  my  frivolous  plans  ;  however,  1  shall  ask  no  one, 
but  disappear  utterly  at  the  end  of  this  month,  for,  my  sweet- 
heart, I  must  see,  hear,  and  feel  you,  and  all  of  you,  once 
again.  .  .  .  Farewell,  my  most  beloved  angel.     I  trust  in  the 

213 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS  OF   BISMARCK      [Mar. 

Lord's  mercy  that  He  will  continue  to  take  you  and  all  of 
us  into  His  gracious  protection. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

Berlin,  March  6,  '51. 
I  write  you  only  two  lines,  my  sweetheart,  to  thank  you 
that  you  and  the  children  are  well,  and  to  scold  you  for 
having  vowed  to  send  me  no  more  commissions.  I  demand 
one  with  your  next  letter.  Who  else  should  execute  them? 
Julie  Behr!  She  may  attend  to  the  tulle  and  gauze,  for 
aught  I  care,  but  if  you  don't  send  me  a  commission  with 
your  next  letter  you  do  not  love  me.  But  I  want  to  find 
fault,  nevertheless,  and  be  pitied,  after  I  have  executed 
them.  What  would  you  say  if  some  time  you  should  jok- 
ingly complain  of  too  much  knitting,  and  I  should  there- 
fore refuse  to  wear  any  more  stockings  of  your  making? 
Take  counsel  with  yourself  and  apologize  to  me.  .  .  .  Love 
to  all,  and  farewell,  under  God's  protection,  my  angel. 
Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Berlin,  March  12,  '51. 
My  DARLING, — . . .  The  burned-out  First  Chamber  meets 
to-day  in  our  hall.  The  fire  day  before  yesterday  made  a 
very  good  show;  particularly  the  churches  in  the  Gen- 
darmenmarkt,  Werder's,  and  the  theatre  were  illuminated  as 
if  by  magic.  Berliners  were  full  of  humor:  here  Vincke's 
foundations  of  law  are  burning;  there  Bismarck's  youth- 
ful fancies  go  up  in  smoke  (the  common  folk  do  not  distin- 
guish between  the  two  Houses);  "burning  questions," 
"  Who  would  have  thought  that  old  thing  had  so  much 
fire  in  it?"  and  "At  last  there's  a  light  dawning  on  her," 
etc.,  interspersed  by  rows  with  the  constables  and  whistling. 

214 


1851]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

I  was  just  dining  with  Budberg  when  a  servant  announced 
that  the  Second  Chamber  was  on  fire ;  to  my  shame  I  must 
say  that  my  first  feeling  was  one  of  egoistic  pleasure  .tk'at 
I  should  not  need  to  write  a  long  report  in  the  evening 
and  read  it  next  morning  at  nine;  with  a  frivolous  glass 
of  very  cold  champagne  I  consoled  myself  for  the  mis- 
fortune, the  whole  extent  of  which  (100,000  rix-dollars)  I 
began  to  realize  only  when,  after  all,  I  had  to  sit  down  re- 
luctantly at  the  inkstand,  write  until  far  into  the  night,  and 
then,  at  half  past  eight  yesterday,  hurry  here  to  the  torture- 
chamber,  which  I  left  only  at  h.alf  past  five — that  is  to  say, 
nine  hours  later — because,  afte.  \the  sitting,  I  had  to  spend 
an  hour  and  a  half  correcting  a  wretchedly  reported  speech 
on  the  military  budget,  which  you  will  read  in  to-day's 
Kreuzzeitung.  .  .  .  These  Stolbergs  are  all  very  nice  people, 
and  yesterday  "  my  Eberhard  "  suddenly  delivered  a  long 
and  very  good  speech  in  the  House  anent  the  army.  To- 
day I  am  dining  with  the  Stolbergs  and  the  Fritzes  and  the 
old  Carlsburgers,  who  have  been  here  (at  Oscar's)  for  sev- 
eral days.  Poor  Fritz  has  grown  very  quiet.  I  think  that 
the  confusion  of  his  political  ideas,  due  to  his  poorly  di- 
gested university  lectures  and  to  his  friend  Oriolla,  is  to 
blame  for  his  colder  relations  to  his  comrades  and  to  other 
people.  They  all  speak  of  him  with  esteem  and  commis- 
eration. His  mother,  too,  has  some  leanings  towards  Lib- 
eralism, which  are  nourished  by  association  with  crack- 
brained  men  of  learning;  but,  nevertheless,  1  like  her  very 
much.  ...  I  still  want  to  go  to  Schonhausen  this  month,  to 
arrange  for  the  payment  of  the  capital,  and  then  by  the 
1st  I  hope  to  be  with  my  angel,  unless  there  are  extremely 
important  matters  on  hand  here.  Good-bye,  my  dear 
sweetheart.  May  the  Lord  grant  my  prayers  for  37ou  and 
the  children.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

215 


X 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Mar. 

Berlin,  March  17,  '51. 
\  Yesterday,  my  love,  I  received  two  letters  from  you,  en- 
clc^irigone  for  the  Countess  Stolberg,  and  to-day,  to  my 
joy,  1  firV  -one  again,  and  for  your  diligence  1  praise  you 
very  much  and  ih«?jik  you.  It  makes  me  all  the  more 
ashamed  because  for  three  days  now  I  have  not  written  to 
you,  and  this  time  not'  owing  to  immersion  in  business, 
but  from  sheer  laziness.  Since  Friday  evening  I  have 
been  pretty  well  through  w^th  my  committee  labors,  and 
felt  so  well  over  it  on  Saturday  that  I  cut  the  meeting  which 
I  should  have  attended,  loafed  all  morning  in  my  dressing- 
gown,  reading  and  smokii/*,,  and  then  went  out  riding  with 
Oscar  for  three  hours  in  the  delightful  spring  weather. 
The  sun  shone  quite  warm;  already  there  are  shoots  on 
the  willows,  the  saucy  honeysuckle  leaves  are  coming 
out  as  large  as  groschen,  and  we  rode  so  hard  that  both 
legs  still  ache  from  it ;  then  I  lay  for  a  very  long  time  in  a 
warm  bath,  ate  well  and  heartily  at  the  inn,  smoked,  went 
to  the  theatre,  and  finished  up  with  beer  at  Schwarz's 
— on  the  whole,  a  very  well-spent  day.  .  .  .  The  Stolbergs 
have  left  for  Silesia,  and  will  remain  there  ten  days ;  I  am 
sending  your  letter  after  them ;  but,  out  of  regard  for  my 
Philistine  disposition,  you  must  be  good  enough  to  write 
the  address  in  bald  prose,  otherwise  I  cannot  put  such  a 
letter  in  the  mail ;  right  across  through  "  your  Elizabeth  " 
I  wrote  a  new  address  in  broomstick  characters;  love  her 
very  much  inside,  and  be  cold  and  courteous  on  the  en- 
velope ;  so  the  custom  of  the  world  demands.  I  think  that, 
after  all,  I  shall  have  to  go  to  Schonhausen  on  April  1st, 
because  there  will  be  many  expenses  if  I  am  not  there  my- 
self, and  perhaps  I  shall  have  to  go,  anyway,  if  the  grant 
to  the  hospital  means  further  extensions.  Then  I  will  so 
arrange  as  to  be  in  Reinfeld  with  my  dear  little  one  on  the 

216 


1851]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

nth.  But  I  want  to  make  you  lots  of  presents  with  my 
saved-up  pay,  if  mammy  would  only  write  what.  Tulle 
or  mull?  I  have  already  secured  Eichendorf.  Do  you 
know  that  the  man  is  still  alive?  He  lives  here  in  the 
Cadet  Corps  with  his  son-in-law,  who  is  an  instructor  or 
an  officer  there.  Don't  let  the  fact  that  he  is  a  Privy-Coun- 
cillor be  any  check  to  your  enthusiasm.  Now,  good-bj'e, 
my  angel.  Love  to  parents  and  cousins.  God  watch  over 
you.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Berlin,  March  25,  '51. 
MY  DEAREST, — In  this  most  beautiful  spring  weather 
I  am  sitting  here  in  the  hazy  atmosphere  of  the  House, 
wrangling  over  the  discipline  of  officials.  During  the  last 
few  days  I  have  taken  fine  long  walks,  and  arrived  home 
dead  tired  and  sweating  like  a  horse.  In  the  Thiergarten 
the  flower-beds  have  already  been  laid  out,  and  appear  red, 
white,  and  blue  through  the  trees,  and  the  alders,  honey- 
suckles, and  other  pretty  forward  things  have  long  leaves, 
the  lawn  is  green  as  in  summer,  and  the  air  like  a  tepid 
bath.  I  should  like  to  amble  about  all  day  on  horseback. 
I  thought  that  I  should  be  quit  of  society  after  the  carnival, 
and  be  able  to  make  evening  calls  at  my  pleasure,  but  now 
one  little  reception  is  following  another.  ...  I  think  I 
shall  have  to  give  up  the  position  of  dike  captain,  otherwise 
I  shall  have  to  inspect  the  Schonhausen  dikes  again  early 
in  May.  The  sending  of  money  to  Schonhausen  is  a  very 
wearisome  matter  to  me;  I  have  to  pay  on  the  31st — the 
30th  is  a  Sunday,  when  I  don't  like  to  travel — and  if  I  arrive 
as  early  as  Saturday  I  sha'n't  be  able  to  endure  listening 
to  the  complaints  and  praises  of  the  aldermen  and  Bellin  for 
three  daj^s;  and  the  road  from  Genthin  on  a  mail-coach 

217 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Mar. 

or  a  farmer's  wagon  will  kill  me;  but  1  am  afraid  that  un- 
less I  go  there  in  person  the  business  will  fall  into  confusion. 
By  the  time  my  birthday  comes  around  I  should  at  least 
like  to  be  here  with  Malvina,  and  not  with  the  Aldermen. 
Now,  in  the  first  place,  1  am  going  out  for  a  walk,  to  think 
it  over,  and  see  how  I  can  overcome  my  aversion  to  Schon- 
hausen.  1  have  delivered  the  letter  to  Busch.  I  think  this 
fine  weather  will  certainly  benefit  our  little  youngster. 
Take  courage,  my  sweetheart;  the  Lord  will  not  deprive 
us  of  His  protection.  Good-bye,  and  remember  me  most 
lovingly  to  our  dear  parents. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Berlin,  March  29,  '51. 
MY  BELOVED  NANNIE,  —  This  invigorating  spring 
weather  makes  me  hate  ink  so  that  I  have  not  written  you 
for  three  days.  I  am  now  rid  of  all  my  committees,  and 
have  a  very  vivid  impression  of  the  times  when  school  was 
out  and  I  could  run  about  in  the  Thiergarten.  I  stroll  for 
hours  as  far  as  the  water  near  the  house  on  the  Charlotten- 
burg  Causeway,  and,  besides,  I  go  out  riding  daily  with 
Oscar,  so  that  all  my  limbs  are  lame  from  the  unaccus- 
tomed exertion.  Yesterday,  while  riding,  a  very  refreshing 
spring  rain  wet  me  pretty  thoroughly.  I  almost  envy 
Oscar  his  horses ;  the  other  day,  for  twelve  hundred  rix- 
dollars,  he  bought  two  road-horses  and  a  very  nice  English 
mare,  whose  gait  is  remarkably  fast  and  steady.  Now  1 
am  not  going  to  Schonhausen  at  all,  but  have  settled  the 
matter  by  correspondence.  Monda\~  was  the  only  day  that 
suited  the  man,  and  on  that  day  a  vote  is  to  be  taken  here 
from  which  I  cannot  be  absent.  Once  recently  we  stood  one 
hundred  and  thirty-four  against  one  hundred  and  thirty- 

218 


1851]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

three,  and  the  other  time  one  hundred  and  thirty-four  to  one 
hundred  and  thirty-four.  The  books  which  j^ou  want  from 
Schonhausen  I  shall  have  sent;  only  write  me  the  name 
of  the  author  of  the  history  of  England,  for  there  are 
several  of  them  in  the  library ;  Melissa  will  probably  rec- 
ollect his  name.  I  shall  now  spend  my  birthday  quietly 
here,  and  on  that  occasion,  between  four  and  five  o'clock, 
1  shall  drink  a  glass  of  champagne  to  your  health.  .  .  . 
Hans  has  been  to  Halle  and  Naumburg,  visiting  Leo  and 
his  nephews  and  other  friends,  and  has  returned  quite 
cheerful ;  he  intended  to  stay  away  two  days,  and  for  five 
nights  he  was  not  in  his  bed.  Much  as  he  tyrannizes  over 
me,  1  worried  about  him,  and  1  had  search  made  for  him 
through  the  Observer,  whereupon  he  came  at  once.  It  is 
already  said  here  that  he  is  going  to  make  a  very  wealthy 
match,  but  1  don't  believe  it;  he  is  as  closely  shut  up  con- 
cerning his  own  person  and  his  inner  life  as  if  we  had 
known  each  other  only  three  days.  The  girl  is  sensible, 
pretty,  amiable,  and  pious,  and,  withal,  a  great  heiress 
and  of  good  family ;  1  should  be  glad  to  see  him  win  her,  if 
only  the  parents  are  of  the  same  opinion  as  1  am.  The 
other  day  I  was  again  sounded  as  to  Schonhausen  through 
the  medium  of  the  Carlsburgers,  who  did  not,  however, 
wish  to  say  for  whom,  if  I  would  not  take  the  matter  up. 
Much  to  their  delight,  1  said  no.  May  God  direct  my  con- 
science otherwise,  if  it  was  wrong ;  it  seemed  to  me  almost 
atrocious,  but  perhaps  owing  only  to  considerations  which 
have  no  validity  before  God.  How  about  our  summer 
country-place  and  the  dike  captaincy?  The  idea  of  trav- 
elling alone  to  Schonhausen,  living  three  da}\s  with  the 
aldermanic  people,  and  listening  to  Prick's  complaints  and 
Bellin's  boastful  chatter  seemed  to  me  terrible,  and  I  am 
amost  grateful  to  the  Chamber  for  keeping  me  from  it,  if  1 

219 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK      [Apr. 

can  only  know  first  that  Bellin  has  attended  to  everything 
without  confusion.  1  wish  it  were  possible  for  the  dear  old 
folks  to  live  with  us  at  Schonhausen,  but  it  is  impossible 
to  expect  that  of  father.  Greet  them  a  thousand-fold  and 
fondle  them  for  me  with  great  love.  I  want  to  bring  along 
for  your  birthday  all  sorts  of  pretty  things,  but  unless  you 
write  me  more  fully  what  you  desire  I  shall  be  growling 
all  the  time  I  am  there;  I  have  made  large  savings  from 
allowances,  and  shall  be  very  generous.  Theodore  is  still 
sick  in  bed,  but  is  now  improving.  Good-D37e,  my  sweet 
angel.  Take  good  care  of  yourself,  so  as  to  keep  well. 
Has  Busch  not  yet  answered  about  the  boy?  1  shall  have 
a  talk  with  him  before  1  leave,  and  bring  along  his  wisdom 
with  me.  I  am  going  to  see  the  Versines  again  to-day. 
A  great  many  people  send  regards  to  you ;  Manteuffel's  wife 
is  always  exceedingly  solicitous  about  you  and  our  babies. 
Good-bye,  my  sweetheart.       Your  most  faithful      V.  B. 

Berlin,  March  31,  '51. 
MY  DEAR, —  ...  As  to-morrow  is  nry  birthday,  I  am  to 
be  feted  by  the  Arnims,  Stolbergs,  Hans,  and  others;  we 
shall  not  begin  dinner  till  4.30,  on  account  of  the  Chamber; 
therefore  you  will  most  likely  be  drinking  my  health  be- 
fore I  drink  yours,  which  will  probably  not  be  before  six 
o'clock.  Much  love  to  our  parents.  Just  think,  Andrae 
has  heard  that  1  tyrannized  over  you  by  letter,  urging 
you  to  nurse  the  children  and  watch  over  them  beyond 
your  strength.     How  people  will  chatter! 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

Berlin,  April  3,  '51. 
I  could  not  write  to  you  on  my  birthday,  my  angel,  al- 
though my  first  thought  in  the  morning,  after  my  thanks 

220 


1851]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

to  God  for  all  His  blessings  during  the  past  year,  was 
with  you,  and  my  dearest  prayer  was  for  yourself  and  the 
children.  In  the  morning  I  was  awakened  by  Andrae, 
who  had  been  with  Hans ;  then  Malle  called,  brought  me 
a  very  useful  pair  of  slippers  and  a  cravat  (from  you  or 
mammy?),  and  burnt  almonds;  then  came  Knaak,  whose 
congratulations  were  very  cordial  and  kind;  then  I  had 
to  yawn  from  ten  to  four  in  the  Chamber,  and  for  dinner 
Roder  and  Stolberg  had  arranged  a  Luculline  feast,  which 
appeared  to  me  to  be  terribly  expensive.  I  was  the  guest 
of  the  company,  consisting  of  Oscar,  Malle,  the  Stolbergs, 
Hans,  Roder,  Prillwitz,  Mtinchhausen  (the  new  magis- 
tate  for  the  first  Jerichow  district),  and  Andrae,  the  latter 
being  also  a  guest.  We  caroused  until  eight,  and  spent 
the  evening  with  the  Stolbergs.  Yesterday  1  still  felt  quite 
fatigued  owing  to  this  copious  dinner,  took  a  bath,  then 
rode  sharply  for  three  hours  with  Malle,  a  Fraulein  von 
Veltheim  from  our  neighborhood  near  Magdeburg,  and 
several  gentlemen.  After  all  this  1  was  sleepy  in  the  even- 
ing, and  I  am  now  writing  you  that  I  am  well,  love  you 
very  much,  and  still  hope  to  be  with  you  by  the  nth.  .  .  . 
Farewell,  my  sweetheart. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Berlin,  April  7,  '51. 
Your  poor  birthday,  my  angel;  here  it  is  already  the 
7th,  and  the  matter  of  the  many  millions,  for  which  all  sick 
people  and  those  on  furlough  have  been  summoned,  will 
not  come  up  to-day,  either,  nor  will  it  be  finished  to- 
morrow; on  the  other  hand,  it  is  increasingly  probable 
that  we  shall  close  before  Easter.  I  have  just  tried  hard  to 
persuade  Manteuffel,  and  he  is  favorably  inclined.     So  we 

221 


THE   LOVE    LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Apr. 

shall  either  finish  just  before  Easter,  or  else  adjourn  at 
Easter  for  ten  or  twelve  days,  so  that,  in  any  event,  I  shall 
at  least  spend  the  holidays  with  you ;  in  the  former  case 
remaining  with  you,  and,  I  hope,  also  in  the  latter,  for  I 
can  no  longer  endure  this  tedious  business.  My  only 
amusement  is  walking.  The  Thiergarten  is  charming,  and 
because  it  is  always  raining  a  little  (so  that  I  have  to 
splash  through  the  mud  in  heavy  boots),  there  is  not  an- 
other living  soul  there,  a  fact  which  I  find  quite  agreeable, 
once  I  am  out  of  the  city  gate  without  meeting  an  acquaint- 
ance who  seizes  my  arm.  The  leaves  of  the  alders  are  like 
four-groschen  pieces ;  gooseberries,  spiraea,  even  the  horn- 
beams glisten  green  through  the  woods,  the  latter,  of  course, 
still  very  light-colored.  Day  before  yesterday  I  heard  the 
Hungarian  musicians,  with  Malle ;  their  ordinary  music 
has  more  movement  than  melody,  but  the  Hungarian 
national  airs  which  they  played  were  quite  the  contrary, 
songs  without  words  by  Lenau;  sickly  as  the  howling 
of  wolves  on  an  autumn  night;  I  will  see  whether  I  can 
get  the  notes,  but  they  will  not  be  so  pretty  for  the  piano, 
for  everything  flows  together  as  in  a  bagpipe.  Yesterday 
Hans  and  I  were  at  General  Gerlach's;  besides  ourselves 
and  Hoppner,  there  was  nothing  but  Gerlachs,  young  and 
old,  male  and  female.  Yesterday  morning,  at  your  com- 
mand, I  was  again  with  Knaak ;  he  takes  too  high  a  strain 
for  me ;  he  not  only  considers  all  dancing  as  sinful,  but  also 
any  attendance  at  theatres  and  any  music  which  ministers 
not  to  the  "  Glory  of  God  "  but  simply  to  pleasure ;  he  thinks 
of  all  this  as  denial  of  God — as  Peter  says,  "  I  know  not 
the  man."  This  is  going  too  far  for  me — fanaticism.  But 
1  am  fond  of  him  personally,  nor  do  I  really  think  evil  of 
him,  and  even  though  I  do  not  share  his  point  of  view,  I 
wish  there  were  more  such  fanatics.     I  long  very  much  for 

222 


1851]       THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK 

you,  the  more  spring  advances,  and  I  am  always  tired  and 
yawning  here,  except  when  I  go  out  to  walk  or  ride;  I 
wish  I  could  be  out-doors  all  the  time.  The  amaranth 
emblem  was  put  in  by  Hans ;  I  only  wrote  his  name  on  it 
so  that  j^ou  should  not  suppose  it  was  from  me.  For  the 
rest,  he  has  been  for  some  weeks  much  brighter  and  more 
sociable,  although  I  do  not  believe  he  had  serious  thoughts 
of  love  and  marriage.  He  thinks  that  he  would  like  very 
much  to  make  Fraulein  von  Ranzau,  of  Bethany,  his  wife. 
Wagener  is  to  return  to-day  from  Ziebingen.  Just  imag- 
ine what  nonsense!  They  wanted  to  make  me  Chamber- 
lain (i.e.,  in  title) ;  I  opposed  it,  as  I  don't  attach  any  value 
to  it,  and  it  costs  money,  and  a  very  expensive  uniform,  too. 
But  say  nothing  about  it,  for  I  think  it  will  not  be  agreeable 
to  the  King  to  learn  that  I  was  not  willing ;  he  considers 
it  a  grand  thing  for  any  one  to  become  Chamberlain.  Good- 
bye, my  sweetheart.  God  protect  you  and  our  parents  and 
the  babies  and  all.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

If  I  do  not  come  home  by  the  nth,  we  will  celebrate  both 
our  birthdays  on  my  arrival.  I  have  already  a  very 
pretty  little  dress  for  you,  and  keepsakes  and  nice  things 
besides.  Your  very  tired  HUSBAND. 

Berlin,  April  10,  '51. 
1  write  you  in  great  anger,  my  dear,  because  they  have 
just,  by  adjournment,  choked  off  a  long  and  carefully  pre- 
pared speech,  with  all  possible  new  material  which  I  had 
collected  with  much  trouble,  so  that  all  my  bother  was  in 
vain,  and  I  must  content  myself  with  voting.  Despite  all 
the  bitterness,  which  is  hardly  kept  in  check  by  thoughts 
of  you  and  all  I  love,  because  it  came  about  through  the 
stupidity  and  cowardice  of  our  "friends,"  I  must,  never- 

223 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Apr. 

thelesSj  send  jtou  love  and  best  wishes  for  to-morrow;  and 
even  if  this  letter  does  not  arrive  till  day  after  to-mor- 
row, still  be  assured  that  I  shall  think  of  you  very  lovingly, 
and  ask  God's  blessing  on  you  more  earnestly  than  ever. 
Whatever  presents  1  have  for  you  1  shall  bring  with  me.  .  .  . 
If  1  finish  my  packing  and  other  business  Saturday,  I  will 
leave  on  Sunday  (God  will  pardon  me,  I  think),  and  if  not, 
early  Monday.  It  is  possible  I  may  have  to  return  here 
after  Easter,  and  on  May  ioth  the  Chamber  is  to  close.  May 

it  go  to  the ! 

Good-bye,  for  to-day,  my  sweetheart.  Soon  after  this 
letter  you  will  have  me,  too. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

Berlin,  Friday,  8  a.  m. 
(Postmarked  April  25,  '51.) 

You  will  sympathize  with  me,  my  sweetheart,  when  you 
see  that  at  this  hour  I  am  already  in  the  committee,  having 
risen  at  seven,  and  Vincke  opposite  me,  whom  I  never  saw 
before  at  this  time  of  day.  Late  last  night  I  was  still 
at  "  Fra  Diavolo  " ;  they  really  intend  to  use  me  in  some 
diplomatic  capacity;  but  in  my  opinion  1  cannot  at  once 
accept  an  entirely  independent  post,  because  1  should  make 
myself  ridiculous  through  ignorance  of  the  usual  docu- 
mentary forms,  which  1  have  no  inclination  to  do.  Be- 
sides, 1  wish  a  position  on  which  I  can  count  for  some  time, 
so  that  I  can  settle  down  with  you,  my  angel;  otherwise 
our  separation  will  be  prolonged  indefinitely ;  it  is  possible 
that  these  wishes  of  mine  will  make  the  matter  come  to 
naught,  which,  on  the  other  hand,  I  should  regret,  as  the 
mere  nomination  of  myself  and  Hans  to  any  positions  what- 
ever would  be  a  public  pledge  that  the  government  has 
really  cut  loose  altogether  from  the  Revolution.     But  I 

224 


1851]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

should  immediately  give  up  any  position  in  which  I  can- 
not live  with  my  family.  It  is  certainly  a  source  of  pleas- 
ure to  me  that  the  King  has  made  himself  familiar  with 
the  idea  of  my  appointment,  less  for  my  own  sake  than 
for  the  cause  which  we  support,  for  if  I  let  that  yoke  be  put 
upon  me  I  must  give  up  for  a  long  time  to  come  every  habit 
of  comfort,  as  well  as  the  hope  of  living  as  quietly  with 
you  and  the  children  as  during  our  first  winter.  God  will 
certainly  arrange  it  according  to  His  will  and  for  our  souls' 
good,  and  in  this  frame  of  mind  we  will  await  develop- 
ments; I  have  not  expressed  any  selfish  desire,  and  am 
not  pushing  myself  forward.  As  soon  as  anything  def- 
inite is  decided  I  shall  write  you.  The  Chamber  will  cer- 
tainly be  adjourned  before  the  10th,  perhaps  by  the  3d,  so 
that  we  shall  soon  be  in  each  other's  arms,  and  can  talk 
over  everything.  Yesterday  afternoon  I  was  in  the  Thier- 
garten;  there  everything  is  already  shady  and  thickly 
foliaged,  except  that  the  oaks  have  as  yet  only  tiny  thin 
leaves,  and  the  beeches,  limes,  and  chestnut-trees  already 
afford  protection  against  rain,  the  clumps  are  impenetra- 
bly green,  the  fruit  trees  are  in  full  blossom,  and  all  sorts 
of  pretty  shrubs,  red-thorns,  blooming  currants,  and  much 
besides  are  blossoming  in  full  richness  of  color ;  the  grape- 
like buds  of  the  horse-chestnut  are  just  about  to  burst.  It 
was  delightful  out  in  the  green,  only  too  many  people,  but 
that  did  not  prevent  the  nightingales  from  screaming  as 
if  they  were  quite  alone  at  Schonhausen.  ...  Is  father  en- 
tirely well  again?  Much  love  to  him  and  M.,  and  farewell. 
Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

Berlin,  April  28,  '51. 
MY  DEAR  SWEETHEART, — Mother's  premonition  that 
1  would  remain  long  away  has,  unfortunately,  proved  cor- 
p  225 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK      [Apr. 

rect  this  time.  .  .  .  The  King  was  the  first  to  propose  my 
nomination,  and  that  at  once,  as  a  real  delegate  to  the 
Diet ;  his  plan  has,  of  course,  encountered  much  opposition, 
and  has  finally  been  so  modified  that  Rochow  will,  it  is 
true,  remain  Minister  at  Petersburg,  whither  he  is  to  re- 
turn in  two  months,  but  meanwhile,  provisionally,  he  is 
commissioned  to  Frankfort,  and  I  am  to  accompany  him, 
with  the  assurance  that,  on  his  leaving  for  Petersburg,  I 
shall  be  his  successor.  But  this  last  is  between  ourselves. 
Now  I  want  to  go,  first  of  all,  to  Frankfort,  and  take  a 
look  at  the  situation,  and  hear  how  I  shall  stand  pecunia- 
rily pending  my  definite  appointment,  of  which  I  know 
nothing  at  all  as  yet.  Then  I  shall  see  whether  I  can  leave 
again  shortly  after  the  start,  and  whether  I  am  to  count 
on  staying  any  longer;  for,  although  I  have,  indeed,  ac- 
cepted, still  I  am  not  yet  sufficiently  familiar  with  the 
ground  to  be  able  to  say  definitely  whether  I  shall  stay  there 
or  shortly  get  out  again.  As  soon  as  that  is  decided,  we 
shall  probably,  after  all,  have  to  consider  for  you,  too,  the 
prospect  of  exchanging  your  quiet  Reinfeld  existence  for 
the  noise  of  the  Diet's  diplomacy.  You  folks  have  often 
complained  that  nothing  was  made  of  me  by  those  above 
me;  now  this  is,  beyond  my  expectations  and  wishes,  a 
sudden  appointment  to  what  is  at  this  moment  the  most 
important  post  in  our  diplomatic  service ;  1  have  not  sought 
it;  I  must  assume  that  the  Lord  wished  it,  and  I  cannot 
withdraw,  although  I  foresee  that  it  will  be  an  unfruitful 
and  a  thorny  office,  in  which,  with  the  best  intentions,  I 
shall  forfeit  the  good  opinion  of  many  people.  But  it 
would  be  cowardly  to  decline.  I  cannot  give  you  to-day 
further  particulars  as  to  our  plans,  how  we  shall  meet, 
what  will  be  done  about  your  going  to  the  sea-shore ;  only 
I  shall  try  to  make  leisure,  if  possible,  to  see  you  before. 

226 


tg5i]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

I  feel  almost  like  crying  when  I  think  of  this  sudden  up- 
setting of  our  innocent  plans,  as  well  as  of  the  uncertainty 
when  I  shall  see  you  again,  my  beloved  heart,  and  the 
babies ;  and  1  earnestly  pray  God  to  arrange  it  all  without 
detriment  to  our  earthly  welfare  and  without  harm  to  my 
soul.  God  be  with  you,  my  dear,  and  bring  us  together 
again  soon.     With  heartfelt  love, 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


(Postmarked  BERLIN,  May  I,  '51.) 
I  have  just  received  your  little  letter  of  the  29th,  my  be- 
loved heart;  its  tenor  is  quite  as  melancholy  as  are  my 
feelings  when  1  think  of  Reinfeld  and  of  our  quiet  plans 
for  the  summer;  I  feel  as  though  we  ought  to  emigrate  to 
America,  taking  leave  of  all  our  dear  old  ways;  for  who 
knows  when  the  wheel  which  is  now  catching  us  up  will  let 
us  go  again,  so  that  we  may  once  more  spend  a  quiet  sum- 
mer in  the  country?  But  then,  too,  it  may  be  sooner  than 
we  suppose,  for  who  can  foretell  the  ways  of  the  Lord  even 
for  a  moment?  But  how  can  you  believe  that  we  should 
be  parted  until  Christmas?  1  do  not  yet  know  to-day  how 
I  shall  be  fixed  pecuniarily ;  if  so  that  we  cannot  live 
together  on  my  income  I  shall  not  remain  in  Frankfort ;  but 
if  it  is  amply  sufficient,  we  will  probably  both  remove  there, 
with  the  children  and  the  maid-servants ;  if  that  could  not  be 
done,  I  could  not  undertake  the  post;  if  these  separations 
on  account  of  the  Chamber  were  also  to  extend  over  all  the 
intervals,  that  would  end  the  whole  business;  I  shall  not 
do  that,  come  what  may ;  God  has  not  brought  us  together 
for  that.  Only  I  am  sorry  for  our  poor,  dear  parents,  that  our 
charming  circle  is  to  be  broken  up,  and  that  they  arc  to  be 
left  in  solitude,  but  in  the  human  and  Divine  order  nothing 

227 


THE   LOVE    LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK     [May, 

else  is  feasible ;  1  have  not  brought  about  the  situation  for 
myself ;  I  have  not  contributed  to  it  by  a  desire  or  by  a  sin- 
gle word ;  that  is  a  consolation  to  me.  .  .  . 

It  seems  as  though  sickness  came  among  you  the  mo- 
ment 1  am  a\va3r;  the  first  advices  I  receive  here  are  in- 
variably disquieting ;  I  trust  that  the  dear  little  ones' 
health  has  now  been  restored  by  this  fine  weather.  You 
should  all  be  very  careful  not  to  ruin  digestion,  and  please 
insist  with  iron  severity  on  regularity  in  meals,  and  that 
the  children  do  not  eat  "for  pleasure,"  but  for  health;  for 
the  former  they  are  as  yet  too  small  and  weak.  How  de- 
lightful the  spring  is !  unfortunately  I  can  go  out  but  little ; 
all  is  blooming  and  green;  the  chestnut  -  trees  are  now 
charmingly  full  of  white  flowers;  it  would  have  made  me 
so  glad  to  experience  all  that  once  more  in  Reinfeld  next 
week!  Have  the  storks  arrived  yet?  .  .  .  Hearty  love  to 
the  dear  parents  and  children.  God  protect  and  bless  all  of 
you  in  the  little  red  house. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Berlin,  May  3,  '51. 
My  sweetest,  dearest  Heart,— Why  so  sad? 
for  it  is  pleasant  in  the  foreign  country,  but  I  can  hardly 
restrain  my  tears  when  I  think  of  the  quiet  country-life 
with  you,  and  all  that  goes  with  it,  which  will  probably 
for  some  time  to  come  hover  about  me  in  a  distant  region  of 
dreams,  and  which  just  now  appears  to  be  more  charming 
than  ever.  Why  do  you  talk  of  a  long  separation,  my 
angel?  Do  accustom  yourself  to  the  idea  that  you  must 
go  out  into  the  winter  of  the  great  world ;  with  what  am  I 
to  warm  myself  otherwise?  It  is  possible,  even  probable, 
that  for  long  years  to  come  I  shall  be  at  home  only  a  tran- 

228 


1851]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

sient  visitor,  absent  on  leave ;  we  cannot  and  must  not  be 
separated  so  long.  Lift  your  soul's  anchor,  and  make 
preparations  to  leave  the  haven  of  home.  I  know  by  my 
own  feelings  how  painful  the  idea  is  to  you,  how  sorrowful 
the  prospect  is  for  our  parents.  But  1  repeat,  I  have  not 
at  all  desired,  or  contributed  with  a  syllable  to,  what  has 
come  about;  I  am  God's  soldier,  and  whither  He  sends  me 
thither  must  I  go,  and  I  believe  He  sends  me,  and  that  He 
shapes  my  life  as  He  needs  it. 

From  a  material  point  of  view  my  position  is  very  good, 
and  your  complaints  on  that  score  are  unjust;  of  which 
more  orally;  my  post  is  more  important  than  a  Presi- 
dency. .  .  . 

Give  a  great  deal  of  love  to  our  kind  parents,  and  ask 
them  to  pardon  me  for  thus  destroying  our  quiet  life,  but 
I  cannot  withdraw  without  being  false  to  the  flag.  Farewell ; 
take  courage  in  prayer,  and  do  not  look  askance  at  what 
is  inevitable.  What  God  does  is  well  done,  and  let  us  enter 
upon  this  thing  in  that  belief. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

Berlin,  May  4,  '51. 
Yesterday,  my  heart,  1  wrote  to  mammy  from  Schonhaus- 
en,  but  only  mailed  the  letter  here,  so  that  it  will  probably 
arrive  simultaneously  with  Hans's  official  notice  of  his 
engagement.  Shortly  after  my  return  from  Reinfeld  he 
poured  out  his  heart  to  me  concerning  his  intentions,  and 
we  decided,  as  a  plan  of  campaign,  that  he  was  first  to  put 
himself  in  communication  with  the  Eberhard  lady*  in 
order  to  get  some  light  upon  the  intentions  and  views  of 
his  beloved  and  her  family,  of  which  he  is  in  total  ignorance 

*  Countess  Stolberg,  born  Princess  Rcuss. 
229 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS  OF  BISMARCK   [May, 

now.  The  lady  in  question  thereupon  wrote  him  two  very- 
pretty  and  charming  letters  ;  the  old  man  was  with  her,  and 
she  had  at  once  shown  him  Ilans's  letter;  the  old  gentle- 
man came  here  day  before  yesterday;  Charlotte*  was 
taken  away  from  Pastor  Schulz  and  the  Lady  Superior, 
not  without  a  painful  struggle;  and  yesterday  they  were 
duly  betrothed,  and  already  address  each  other  in  the  fa- 
miliar second  person.  Hans  is  inordinately  happy,  does 
not  go  to  bed  at  all,  and  carries  on  like  a  child;  it  was  not 
to  be  announced  as  yet,  but  he  could  not  keep  it  to  himself, 
was  under  the  necessity  of  "  engraving  it  on  every  pebble," 
and  mentions  it  to  friend  and  foe,  in  the  blessed  belief  that 
all  the  world's  bickerings  have  now  ceased,  and  that  every 
one  is  happy.  His  face  is  entirely  changed,  and  when 
alone  in  his  room  he  capers  about  and  sings  the  most  ex- 
traordinary songs ;  in  short,  3Tou  can  no  longer  recognize 
the  cross,  peevish  fellow  that  he  was,  and  if  in  his  happiness 
he  would  only  allow  me  to  sleep  at  night,  he  would  be  very 
agreeable;  almost  too  excited.  .  .  .  Farewell,  my  darling, 
with  lots  of  love.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

I  have  just  received  mamma's  letter,  full  of  love  and 
truth;  she  takes  the  matter  harder  than  I  do.  God  helps 
me  to  bear  up,  and  with  His  assistance  I  am  more  fit  for  the 
thing  than  most  of  our  politicians  who  might  be  in  Frank- 
fort in  my  stead,  without  Him.  I  shall  fill  my  office;  it 
rests  with  God  to  give  me  the  ability  to  do  so. 

Berlin,  May  7,  '51. 
MY  BELOVED  HEART,—  ...  I  must  tell  you  in  two  words 
how  I  am  almost  consumed  by  the  longing  to  be  with  you, 

*  Countess  Stolberg,  afterwards  Frau  von  Kleist. 
230 


1851]     THE    LOVE    LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

and  homesick  for  you  all,  and  for  the  green  spring  and 
for  life  in  the  country,  so  that  my  heart  is  very  heavy. 
To-day  at  noon,  i.e.,  before  dinner,  I  was  at  General  Ger- 
lach's,and  while  he  was  grinding  away  about  treaties  and 
sovereigns  1  saw  how  the  wind  was  gambolling  among 
the  chestnuts  and  alder-blossoms  under  the  windows  in 
Voss's  Garden,  and  I  imagined  I  heard  the  nightingales 
and  stood  with  you  at  the  dining-room  window  looking 
out  on  the  terrace,  and  I  did  not  know  what  G.  was 
talking  about.  Your  letter  with  the  pistols,  which  you 
should  have  quietly  kept  if  they  made  you  anxious,  came 
last  night,  and  I  grew  so  sad  and  sick  from  longing  that  I 
had  to  weep  when  I  lay  in  bed,  and  earnestly  implore  God 
to  give  me  strength  to  do  my  duty.  Hans  was  in  Pots- 
dam overnight,  where  his  fiancee  lives  with  her  sister, 
Countess  Keller,  and  I  had  such  an  oppressive  feeling  of 
loneliness  that  I  could  not  sleep.  I  am  firmly  convinced 
that  the  merciful  God  is  protecting  you  and  the  children, 
and  that  He  will  grant  us  a  joyful  reunion ;  but  life  is  fleet- 
ing, and  still  we  are  apart  from  one  another.  I  am  to  go 
to  the  King  to-morrow  morning,  and  I  leave  the  day  after, 
or  perhaps  not  before  Saturday,  for  I  am  to  be  in  Frank- 
fort on  Sunday,  and  I  have  still  so  much  to  attend  to  here 
that  I  am  almost  in  despair.  Perhaps  during  the  first 
weeks,  after  the  initial  rush  of  work  is  over  and  matters 
have  been  put  sufficiently  into  shape  to  keep  going  in  an 
orderly  fashion,  I  shall  be  able  to  get  away  from  Frank- 
fort for  a  few  days,  so  that  we  may  have  a  rendezvous  at 
Stettin  or  Kiilz,  for  I  am  dying  with  eagerness  to  see  you. 
For  the  last  few  days  it  has  been  impossible  to  spare  here 
the  four  days  which  are  necessary  in  order  to  spend  one 
day  at  Reinfeld.  To-morrow  I  shall  send  you  the  little  box 
of  books,  gloves,  etc. ;  there  is  no  room  in  it  for  the  rubbers, 

231 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK     [May, 

which  I  shall  send  separately.  For  the  boys  I  have  pro- 
cured two  pairs  of  shoes,  one  somewhat  larger  than  the 
sample;  in  case  they  do  not  fit  now,  save  them  for  the 
future.  In  Frankfort  they  will  pay  me  for  the  present  a 
salary  of  three  thousand  rix-dollars,  but  if  they  keep  their 
promises  I  shall  not  be  drawing  that  amount  very  long,  but 
shall  have  more  in  a  few  months;  however,  I  shall  also 
have  to  spend  more.  That  I  must  become  Privy-Coun- 
cillor is  a  mockery  by  which  God  punishes  all  my  libels 
upon  Privy-Councillors.  Hans,  who  has  just  got  home, 
sends  cordial  regards,  and  says  that  everything  is  "ex- 
ceedingly nice  and  attractive,  the  Stolbergs  very  kind, 
and  she  an  extremely  brilliant  girl,  who  suits  him  splen- 
didly " ;  he  says  that  he  and  his  betrothed  will  both  write 
to  mother  from  Wernigerode.  He  is  provokingly  happy, 
while  I —  My  angel,  when  shall  we  see  each  other  again? 
Would  that  1  could  hold  you  in  my  arms  for  only  a  mo- 
ment, and  tell  you  how  I  love  you,  and  beg  you  to  pardon 
me  for  whatever  evil  1  have  ever  done  you,  my  sweetheart. 
How  anxious  I  am  about  you !  Kiss  the  children  for  me, 
and  give  our  parents  all  sorts  of  nice  messages.  Good- 
night, my  darling.    God's  blessing  be  your  guard. 

Your  most  faithful  v.  B. 

Saturday  Morning. 
(Postmarked  BERLIN,  May  10,  '51.) 

MY  BELOVED  NAN,— This  evening,  then,  I  am  act- 
ually to  start  out,  and  to-morrow  afternoon  I  shall  be  in 
Frankfort.  Hildebrand  is  packing  round  about  me,  in  a 
chaos  of  trunks,  clothes,  books.  Yesterday  I  did  wonders 
in  the  way  of  business  and  farewell  calls,  but  to-day  much 
still  remains  for  me.  Day  before  yesterday  I  had  a  long 
audience  with  the  King,  whose  attitude  towards  the  affairs 

232 


1851J      THE    LOVE   LETTERS    OF    BISMARCK 

with  which  I  shall  be  concerned  is,  in  my  view,  very  satis- 
factory. He  thanked  me  very  much  for  accepting  the  thing, 
and  promised  that,  on  Rochow's  return  to  Petersburg,  he 
would  appoint  me  Ambassador  to  Frankfort.  This  sudden 
distinction  frightens  me,  and  I  am  longing  more  than  ever 
for  you  and  Teifke,  or  Freichow.  My  angel,  if  I  only  had 
you  here  and  could  travel  with  37ou !  Hans  has  gone  off  to 
Wernigerode,  and  1  am  so  cold,  and  anxious  to  be  with  all 
that  I  love!  Just  imagine  that  I,  miscreant  that  1  am, 
dreamed  just  now  that  1  was  whipping  our  youngster  so 
hard  with  a  switch  that  the  blood  flowed  after  every  stroke; 
I  must  apologize  to  him,  the  dear  little  duffer. 

Two  hours  later. 
Callers  as  early  as  half  past  seven,  and  now  there 
will  be  no  end  to  it.  Everybody  wants  to  go  along  to 
Frankfort.  I  must  break  off.  I  love  you  more  than  ever, 
my  sweetheart,  and  am  in  such  a  state  of  longing  and 
anxiety  that  I  am  becoming  quite  useless  for  business. 
Possibly  in  a  few  weeks  I  may  have  occasion  to  return  to 
Berlin  for  a  few  days ;  perhaps  I  shall  then  find  time  for 
Reinfeld,  but  we  must  see  each  other  then  by  all  means. 
Love  a  thousand  times  over  to  our  beloved  parents.  The 
bell  is  ringing  again. 

Your  most  faithful  and  very  loving  V.  B. 


Frankfort,  May  12,  '51. 
MY  BELOVED  HEART, — I  have  not  been  able  to  realize 
at  all  that  we  should  be  so  widely  separated,  until  the  rail- 
road delivered  me  here  last  night,  after  a  journey  of  twenty- 
five  hours,  and  until,  from  the  time  of  arising  this  morning 
till  now,  towards  evening,  1  had  been  engaged  in  a  ceaseless 

233 


THE  LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK     [May, 

struggle  with  despatch-writing,  calls,  and  telegrams.  At 
last,  after  a  tedious  and  complaining  caller  has  left  me,  I 
find  a  moment's  leisure  in  which  to  write  you.  The  picture 
of  yourself  and  of  the  children  crosses  my  thoughts  at 
every  step  and  in  every  occupation,  and  my  longing  in- 
creases with  the  distance.  Were  it  not  for  the  sea-bathing 
for  you  and  the  children,  which  I  do  not  dare  to  interfere 
with  or  prevent,  1  should  endeavor  to  bring  you  here  as 
quickly  as  possible,  although  I  see  your  dear  parents' 
sorrow  of  heart,  and  should  want  to  apologize  to  them  again 
for  taking  you  from  them  a  second  time,  and  so  far  away, 
too.  .  .  1  am,  really,  still  at  a  loss  to  comprehend  how  the 
wheel  of  life  has  got  hold  of  me  so  suddenly,  pulled  me  out 
of  all  pleasant  summer  dreams,  and  cast  me  here;  I  must 
put  my  things  in  order  before  I  can  realize  my  new  plan 
of  life.  This  noon  I  sat  among  Englishmen — a  melancholy 
reminder  of  our  trip;  they  were  going  to  Heidelberg  and 
Switzerland;  how  near  all  that  is  to  this  place,  and  as 
soon  as  we  are  together  you  shall  see  Heidelberg  at  leisure, 
where  you  were  so  ill — the  Rhine,  as  well ;  that  is  the  ex- 
cursion of  two  days,  and  points  of  light  in  my  vision  of 
the  future.  Now  I  must  get  accustomed  to  being  a  regular 
dry  business  man,  having  many  and  fixed  hours  of  work, 
and  growing  old;  gaming  and  dancing  are  over.  God 
has  placed  me  on  the  spot  where  I  must  be  an  earnest  man 
and  pay  the  King  and  the  country  what  I  owe  them.  I  am 
determined  to  do  His  will  according  to  my  best  strength, 
and  if  I  am  lacking  in  wisdom  I  shall  implore  Him;  He 
grants  abundance,  and  charges  it  to  no  one.  May  He 
have  you  and  ours  in  His  faithful  keeping,  protect  you 
from  sickness  and  trouble,  for  that  do  I  pray  morning  and 
night  more  earnestly  than  ever,  and  believe  that  I  am  heard. 
I  must  close — six  is  my  mail  time.     Do  not  prepay  letters 

234 


1851]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

when  you  write.     Farewell,  dearest  of  all  I  possess ;  there 
is  no  time  during  the  day  when  I  do  not  think  of  you  with 
true  love  and  longing.     Hearty  love  to  father  and  mother. 
Yours  forever,  V.  B. 

Hildebrand  is  all  that  I  have  here  that  is  homelike,  and 
is  very  agreeable  to  me ;  in  his  new  livery  he  looks  like  a 
count. 

Frankfort,  May  14,  '51. 
MY  LITTLE  DEAR, — .  .  It  seems  to  be  getting  constantly 
more  certain  that  I  shall  take  Rochow's  position  in  the  sum- 
mer. In  that  event,  if  the  rating  remains  as  it  was,  1  shall 
have  a  salary  of  twenty-one  thousand  rix-dollars,  but  I 
shall  have  to  keep  a  large  train  and  household  establish- 
ment, and  you,  my  poor  child,  must  sit  stiff  and  sedate  in 
the  drawing-room,  be  called  Excellency,  and  be  clever  and 
wise  with  Excellencies.  .  .  .  The  city  is  not  so  bad  as  you  sup- 
pose; there  tire  a  great  many  charming  villas  before  the 
gates,  similar  to  those  in  the  Thiergarten,  only  more  sunny. 
As  Councillor  of  Legation,  it  will  be  difficult  for  us  to  live 
there,  owing  to  distance  and  expense ;  but  as  Ambassador, 
quite  as  charming  as  is  possible  in  a  foreign  land.  By  letters 
of  introduction  I  have  quickly  become  acquainted  with  the 
charming  world  hereabouts.  Yesterday  I  dined  with  the 
English  Ambassador,  Lord  Cowley,  nephew  of  the  Duke 
of  Wellington ;  very  kind,  agreeable  people ;  she  is  an 
elegant  woman  of  about  forty,  very  worldly,  but  benevo- 
lent and  easy  to  get  acquainted  with;  I  have  immediately 
put  myself  on  a  friendly  footing  with  her,  so  that  when 
you  step  into  the  cold  bath  of  diplomatic  society  she  may 
be  a  powerful  support  for  you.  Previously  I  called  on  a 
Frau  von  Stallupin  (pronounce  Stolipine),  a  young  woman 

235 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK       [May, 

without  children,  kindly,  like  all  Russian  women,  but  ter- 
ribly rich,  and  settled  in  a  little  castle-like  villa,  so  that 
one  hardly  dares  to  take  a  step  or  to  sit  down;  a  Schar- 
teuck  interior  is  a  rude  barn  compared  with  it.  Day  be- 
fore yesterday  evening  I  called  on  Frau  von  Vrintz,  a 
sister  of  Meyendorf's  wife;  the  diplomatic  folks  assemble 
every  evening  in  her  drawing-room.  Countess  Thun  was 
there,  a  very  handsome  young  woman,  in  the  style  of 
Malvinia;  also  the  Marquis  de  Tallenay,  French  Am- 
bassador, a  polite  fifty-year-old;  Count  Szechenyi,  a  gay 
young  Magyar,  full  of  pranks,  and  divers  other  foreign 
personages.  They  gamble  there  every  evening,  the  lady 
of  the  house,  too,  and  not  for  very  low  stakes ;  I  was  scolded 
for  declaring  it  boresome,  and  told  them  it  would  be  my 
role  to  laugh  at  those  who  lost.  Society  probably  does  not 
appeal  to  you  very  strongly,  my  beloved  heart,  and  it 
seems  to  me  as  though  I  were  harming  you  by  bringing 
you  into  it,  but  how  shall  I  avoid  that?  I  have  one  favor 
to  ask  of  you,  but  keep  it  to  yourself,  and  do  not  let  mother 
suspect  that  I  have  written  you  one  word  about  it,  otherwise 
she  will  worry  needlessly  over  it :  occupy  yourself  with 
French  as  much  as  you  can  in  the  meantime,  but  let  it  be 
thought  that  you  yourself  have  discovered  that  it  is  useful. 
Read  French,  but  if  you  love  me,  do  not  do  so  by  artificial 
light,  or  if  your  eyes  pain  you ;  in  that  case  you  had  better 
ask  mother  to  read  to  you,  for  it  is  almost  harder  to  under- 
stand than  to  speak.  If  you  know  of  any  agreeable  piece 
of  baggage  you  can  get  in  a  hurry  to  chatter  French  to  you, 
then  engage  one;  I  will  gladly  pay  the  bill.  You  will 
enter  here  an  atmosphere  of  French  spirit  and  talk,  any- 
way; so  you  cannot  avoid  familiarizing  yourself  with  it 
as  far  as  possible.  If  you  know  of  no  person  whom  you 
like  and  who  is  available,  let  it  go ;  and,  at  any  rate,  I  beg 

236 


185 1]      THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

you  sincerely  not  to  consider  this  advice  as  a  hardship,  or 
otherwise  than  if  I  asked  you  to  buy  yourself  a  green  or  a 
blue  dress;  it  is  not  a  matter  of  life  and  death;  you  are 
my  wife,  and  not  the  diplomats',  and  they  can  just  as  well 
learn  German  as  you  can  learn  French.  Only  if  you  have 
leisure,  or  wish  to  read  anyway,  take  a  French  novel ;  but 
if  37ou  have  no  desire  to  do  so,  consider  this  as  not  written, 
for  I  married  you  in  order  to  love  you  in  God  and  according 
to  the  need  of  my  heart,  and  in  order  to  have  in  the  midst  of 
the  strange  wTorld  a  place  for  my  heart,  which  all  the  world's 
bleak  winds  cannot  chill,  and  where  I  may  find  the  warmth 
of  the  home-fire,  to  which  I  eagerly  betake  myself  when  it 
is  stormy  and  cold  without;  but  not  to  have  a  society 
woman  for  others,  and  I  shall  cherish  and  nurse  your  little 
fireplace,  put  wood  on  it  and  blow,  and  protect  it  against 
all  that  is  evil  and  strange,  for,  next  to  God's  mercy,  there 
is  nothing  which  is  dearer  and  more  necessary  to  me  than 
your  love,  and  the  homelike  hearth  which  stands  between  us 
everywhere,  even  in  a  strange  land,  when  we  are  together. 
Do  not  be  too  much  depressed  and  sad  over  the  change  of 
our  life;  my  heart  is  not  attached,  or,  at  least,  not  strongly 
attached,  to  earthly  honor;  I  shall  easily  dispense  with 
it  if  it  should  ever  endanger  our  peace  with  God  or  our  con- 
tentment. .  .  .  Farewell,  my  dearly  beloved  heart.  Kiss 
the  children  for  me,  and  give  your  parents  my  love. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Frankfort,  May  16,  '51. 
DEAR  MOTHER, —  ...  So  far  as  I  am  at  present  ac- 
quainted with  the  highest  circles  of  society,  there  is  only  one 
house  which  seems  to  me  to  promise  company  for  Johanna 
— that  of  the  English  Ambassador.     As  this  letter   will 

237 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK       [May, 

probably  be  opened  by  the  Austrian  (Frankfort)  post-office 
authorities,  I  shall  refrain  from  explaining  on  this  occasion 
the  reasons  therefor.  Even  those  letters  which,  like  my 
last  ones,  I  took  occasion  to  send  by  a  courier,  are  not 
secure  from  indiscretions  at  Berlin;  those  to  me  as  well 
as  those  from  me ;  but  those  which  go  by  the  regular  mail 
are  always  opened,  except  when  there  is  no  time  for  it,  as 
the  gentleman  who  will  read  this  could  probably  testify. 
But  all  that,  for  better,  for  worse,  forms  part  of  the  petty 
ills  of  my  new  position. 

In  my  thoughts  I  must  always  ask  you  and  our  dad  to 
forgive  me  for  depriving  you  of  the  pleasure  and  the  hap- 
piness of  your  old  days,  inasmuch  as  I  transplant  to  such 
a  distance  the  bright  child-life,  with  all  its  dear  cares,  and 
take  Johanna  away  a  second  time  from  her  father's  house; 
but  I  see  no  other  wa37  out  of  it,  which  would  not  be  unnat- 
ural, or  even  wrong,  and  the  strong  arm  which  separated  us 
when  we  hoped  to  be  united  can  also  unite  us  when  we  least 
expect  it.  You  shall  at  least  have  the  conviction,  so  far 
as  human  purpose  can  give  it,  that  I  shall  wander,  together 
with  Johanna,  with  the  strong  staff  of  the  Word  of  God, 
through  this  dead  and  wicked  activity  of  the  world,  whose 
nakedness  will  become  more  apparent  to  us  in  our  new 
position  than  before,  and  that  to  the  end  of  our  joint  pil- 
grimage my  hand  shall  strive,  in  faithful  love,  to  smooth 
Johanna's  paths,  and  to  be  a  warm  covering  to  her  against 
the  breath  of  the  great  world.   .  .   . 

Your  faithful  son,  V.  B. 


Frankfort,  May  i8,  '51. 
MY  DARLING, — Frankfort  is  terribly  tiresome ;  I  am  so 
spoiled  by  so  much  affection  and  so  much  business  that 

238 


1851]      THE   LOVE    LETTERS   OF    BISMARCK! 

I  am  only  just  beginning  to  suspect  how  ungrateful  I  al- 
ways was  to  some  people  in  Berlin,  to  say  nothing  of  you 
and  yours;  but  even  the  cooler  measure  of  fellowship  and 
party  affiliation  which  came  to  me  in  Berlin  may  be  called 
an  intimate  relationship  compared  with  intercourse  here, 
which  is,  in  fact,  nothing  more  than  mutual  mistrust  and 
espionage,  if  there  only  were  anything  to  spy  out  or  to  con- 
ceal !  The  people  toil  and  fret  over  nothing  but  mere  trifles, 
and  these  diplomats,  with  their  consequential  hair-splitting, 
already  seem  to  me  more  ridiculous  than  the  Member  of 
the  Second  Chamber  in  the  consciousness  of  his  dignity. 
If  foreign  events  do  not  take  place,  and  those  we  over- 
smart  Diet  people  can  neither  direct  nor  prognosticate,  I 
know  quite  definitely  now  what  we  shall  have  accomplished 
in  one,  two,  or  five  years,  and  am  willing  to  effect  it  in 
twenty-four  hours  if  the  others  will  but  be  truthful  and 
sensible  for  a  single  day.  I  have  never  doubted  that  they 
all  use  water  for  cooking ;  but  such  an  insipid,  silly  water- 
broth,  in  which  not  a  single  bubble  of  mutton-suet  is  visi- 
ble, surprises  me.  Send  me  Filohr,  the  village-mayor, 
Stephen  Lotke,  and  Herr  von  Dombrowsky,  of  the  turnpike- 
house,  as  soon  as  they  are  washed  and  combed,  and  I  shall 
cut  a  dash  with  them  in  diplomatic  circles.  I  am  making 
headlong  progress  in  the  art  of  saying  nothing  by  using 
many  words;  I  write  reports  of  many  pages,  which  read 
nice  and  smooth  as  editorials;  and  if  Manteuffel,  after  he 
has  read  them,  can  tell  what  they  contain,  he  can  do  more 
than  I.  Each  of  us  makes  believe  that  he  thinks  the  other 
is  full  of  ideas  and  plans,  if  he  would  but  speak  out,  and 
yet  we  none  of  us  know  a  jot  better  than  the  man  in  the 
moon  does  what  is  to  become  of  Germany.  No  mortal, 
not  even  the  most  malevolently  skeptical  Democrat,  will 
believe  what  a  vast  amount  of  charlatanism  and  conse- 

239 


THE    LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK     [May, 

quential  pomposity  there  is  in  this  diplomacy.  But  now  I 
have  done  enough  scolding,  and  want  to  tell  you  that  1  am 
well,  and  that  1  was  very  glad  and  gave  thanks  to  the  Lord 
that,  according  to  your  last  letter,  all  was  well  with  you,  and 
that  I  love  you  very  much,  and  look  at  every  pretty  villa, 
thinking  that  perhaps  our  babies  will  be  running  about  in  it 
in  summer.  Do  see  that  you  get  the  girls  to  come  along,  or, 
if  they  absolutely  refuse,  bring  others  from  there  with  whom 
we  are  already  somewhat  acquainted.  I  don't  care  to  have 
a  Frankfort  snip  in  the  room,  or  with  the  children ;  or  we 
must  take  a  Hessian  girl,  with  short  petticoats  and  ridicu- 
lous head-gear ;  they  are  half-way  rural  and  honest.  For  the 
present  I  shall  rent  a  furnished  room  for  myself  in  the  city ; 
the  inn  here  is  too  expensive.  Lodgings,  5  guilders  per  day ; 
two  cups  of  tea,  without  anything  else,  36  kreutzers  (35  are 
10  silbergroschen),  and,  served  as  the  style  is  here,  it  is 
insulting.  Day  before  yesterday  I  was  at  Mayence;  it  is 
a  charming  region,  indeed.  The  rye  is  already  standing 
in  full  ears,  although  the  weather  is  infamously  cold  every 
night  and  morning.  The  excursions  by  rail  are  the  best 
things  here.  To  Heidelberg,  Baden-Baden,  Odenwald, 
Hamburg,  Soden,  Wiesbaden,  Bingen,  Rudesheim,  Nie- 
derwald,  is  a  leisurely  day's  journey;  one  can  stay  there 
for  five  or  six  hours  and  be  here  again  in  the  evening; 
hitherto  I  have  not  yet  availed  myself  of  it,  but  shall  do  so, 
so  that  I  may  escort  you  when  you  are  here.  Rochow  left 
for  Warsaw  at  nine  o'clock  last  night ;  he  will  arrive  there 
day  after  to-morrow  at  noon,  and  will  most  likely  be  here 
again  a  week  from  to-day.  About  politics  and  individu- 
als I  cannot  write  you  much,  because  most  letters  are 
opened.  When  once  they  are  familiar  with  your  address 
on  my  letters  and  with  your  handwriting  on  yours,  they 
will  probably  get  over  it,  because  they  have  no  time  to  read 

240  , 


1851]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

family  letters.  Do  not  be  afraid  of  the  local  aristocracy; 
as  to  money,  Rothschild  is  the  most  aristocratic,  but  de- 
prive them  all  of  their  money  and  salaries,  and  it  would  be 
seen  how  little  each  one  is  aristocratic  in  himself ;  money 
doesn't  do  it,  and  otherwise — may  the  Lord  keep  me  in 
humility,  but  here  the  temptation  is  strong  to  be  content 
with  one's  self. 

Countess  Puckler,  sister  of  the  Countess  Stolberg,  re- 
sides at  Weistritz,  near  Schweidnitz.  Now,  farewell;  I 
must  go  out.  God's  blessing  be  with  you.  Give  F.  and 
M.  much  love.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Frankfort,  May  27,  '51. 
MY  DARLING,— ...  On  Friday  there  was  a  ball  at  Lady 
Cowley's,  which  lasted  until  five  in  the  morning;  they  all 
dance  here  as  if  possessed;  the  oldest  delegates  of  fifty, 
with  white  hair,  danced  to  the  end  of  the  cotillon,  in  the 
sweat  of  their  brows.  At  midnight  "  God  Save  the  Queen  " 
was  solemnly  played,  because  her  birthday  was  dawning, 
and  it  was  all  a  transparency  of  English  coats-of-arms  and 
colors  from  top  to  bottom,  and  very  many  odd,  stiff  ladies, 
who  "lisp  English  when  they  lie,"  as  I  read  once  upon  a 
time  the  translation  of  that  passage  in  "  Faust " ;  that  is  to 
say,  they  all  have  a  passion  for  talking  bad  French,  and  1 
am  altogether  forgetting  my  English,  as  I  have  discovered 
to  my  dismay.  .  .  .  Oftentimes  I  feel  terribly  homesick,  and 
that  is  to  me  an  agreeable  sadness,  for  otherwise  I  seem 
to  myself  so  aged,  so  dryly  resigned  and  documentary,  as 
if  I  were  only  pasted  on  a  piece  of  card-board.  .  .  .  Give  your 
dear  parents  my  heartfelt  love,  and  kiss  Annie's  pretty 
hand  for  me,  because  she  stays  with  you  so  sweetly.  Now, 
I  shall  not  write  another  word  until  I  have  a  letter  from 
0  241 


THE    LOVE    LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK    [June, 

you  in  hand.  Yesterday  I  attended  the  Lutheran  church 
here ;  a  not  very  gifted,  but  devout,  minister ;  the  audience 
consisted,  apart  from  myself,  of  just  twenty-two  women, 
and  nry  appearance  was  visibly  an  event.  God  bless  and 
keep  you  and  the  children. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


FRANKFORT,  Ascension  Day — Evening. 
(Postmarked  BERLIN,  June  I,  '51.) 

MY  HEART, — How  good  it  is  of  you  all  that,  directly 
after  I  had  mailed  my  complaint  of  lack  of  news,  there 
arrives  such  a  shower  of  letters.  A  thousand  thanks  to 
your  dear  parents,  and  I  shall  answer  dad  to-morrow,  when 
I  am  less  hurried  than  to-day,  for  on  this  dear  holiday, 
after  a  big  dinner,  I  must  still  write  some  long  despatches. 
I  was  at  the  French  church  to-day,  where  at  least  there 
was  more  congregation  and  devotion,  and  the  minister  was 
passable,  too,  but  I  cannot  talk  French  with  my  dear,  faithful 
Lord  and  Saviour ;  it  seems  to  me  ungrateful.  For  the  rest, 
they  sang  pretty  hymns,  these  insipid  Calvinists,  almost 
in  the  sweet  Catholic  tune  which  you  always  play.  .  .  . 
Your  most  faithful  v.  B. 

Your  letter  had  been  opened  again. 


Frankfort,  June  4,  '51. 
MY  DARLING, — Were  you  not  going  to  write  to  me  any 
more?  I  was  resolved  even  3'esterday  not  to  put  pen  to 
paper  until  I  should  have  a  letter  from  you,  but,  anyway, 
I  will  be  good,  and  tell  you  that  I  am  well  and  love  you, 
even  if  you  let  your  little  inkstand  dry  up.     I  long  exceed- 

242 


1851]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF    BISMARCK 

ingly  for  you  and  the  children,  and  for  quiet,  comfortable 
domesticity  at  Schonhausen  or  Reinfeld.  As  soon  as  I 
have  finished  my  hitherto  rather  unimportant  occupations, 
my  empty  lodgings,  and  the  whole  dreary  world  behind, 
face  me,  and  I  know  not  where  to  set  my  foot,  for  there  is 
nothing  which  particularly  attracts  me.  Day  before  yes- 
terday I  ate  at  Biberich,  with  the  Duke  of  Nassau,  the  first 
fresh  herrings  and  the  first  strawberries  and  raspberries 
of  the  season.  It  is  certainly  a  delightful  piece  of  earth 
along  the  Rhine,  and  1  looked  pensively  from  the  castle 
windows  over  to  the  red  cathedral  of  Mayence,  which, 
almost  four  years  ago,  we  both  went  to  see  very  early  in 
the  morning,  in  times  for  which  we  were  not  then  sufficient- 
ly grateful  to  God ;  1  remembered  how,  on  board  the  steam- 
er, the  blue  hills  before  us,  we  passed  by  the  Duke's  hand- 
some castle,  without  dreaming  how  and  why  1  should 
stand  there  at  the  window  this  year,  an  old  wig  of  a  Minister 
before  me,  who  unravelled  his  views  on  national  politics, 
while  I  was  thinking,  with  an  occasional  absent-minded 
"  Quite  so,"  of  our  trip  of  '47,  and  sought  with  my  eyes  the 
spot  on  the  Mayence  bridge  whence  you,  in  your  little  Ge- 
neva coat,  embarked  on  the  steamer ;  mid  then  I  thought  of 
Geneva.  .  .  .  Countess  Thun  unfortunately  left  on  Sunday 
for  Tetschen,  to  spend  three  months  with  her  father-in- 
law.  She  is  a  kindly  lady,  womanly  and  devout  (Catholic, 
very),  attributes  which  do  not  grace  the  women  here  in 
general;  her  husband  gambles  and  flirts,  1  believe,  more 
so  than  is  agreeable  to  her.  I  hardly  believe  that  you  will 
like  her,  but  she  is  one  of  the  better  specimens  of  women 
of  the  great  world,  even  though  that  just  proves  to  me  that 
a  woman  of  that  world  would  not  have  been  suitable  f< ti- 
me; I  like  her  to  associate  with,  but  not  to  marry.  Perhaps 
by  comparing  her  with  the  others  of    her  sort,  you    will 

243 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK     [June, 

learn  to  appreciate  her.  The  gentlemen  are  unendurable. 
The  moment  1  accost  one  he  assumes  a  diplomatic  coun- 
tenance, and  thinks  of  what  he  can  answer  without  say- 
ing too  much,  and  what  he  can  write  home  concerning  my 
utterances.  Those  who  are  not  so,  I  find  still  less  con- 
genial ;  they  talk  equivocally  to  the  ladies,  and  the  latter 
encourage  them  shamefully.  It  makes  a  less  morbid  im- 
pression on  me  if  a  woman  falls  thoroughly  for  once,  but  pre- 
serves a  sense  of  shame  at  heart,  than  if  she  takes  pleasure 
in  such  chatter;  and  1  value  the  Countess  Thun,  because, 
despite  the  general  fashion  prevailing  here,  she  knows  how 
to  keep  decidedly  clear  of  all  that  sort  of  thing.  .  .  . 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Frankfort,  June  10,  '51. 
MY  SWEETHEART,— 1  returned  late  last  night  from 
Baden  and  the  Odenwald,  and  found  mother's  and  the 
children's  and  your  dainty  letters,  and  thank  God  that 
you  are  well,  and  1,  too,  so  far  as  our  separation  permits; 
the  tulip-leaves  were  still  in  it,  my  heart;  furthermore, 
that  letter  did  not  appear  to  have  been  opened;  perhaps 
they  now  know  your  handwriting,  and  don't  consider  you 
dangerous.  .  .  .  Baden-Baden  is  charming,  and  1  regret  that 
in  the  course  of  our  trip  1  did  not  take  you  there.  Last 
night  I  slept  at  Carlsruhe,  where  my  darling  was  so  ailing, 
at  the  same  inn ;  left  there  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
in  order  to  meet  Lynar,  Thun,  and  a  dozen  other  diplomats 
and  ladies  from  Frankfort,  at  Bickensbach  (in  the  Berg- 
strasse).  1  arrived  at  the  rendezvous  three  hours  before 
the  Frankforters,  went  to  a  village  church  beautifully 
situated  on  the  mountain  slope,  a  Lutheran  oasis  in  the 
Catholic  country,  heard  a  preacher  who  spoke  in  distinc- 

244 


1851J      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

tively  South-German  fashion,  but  was  a  sincere  believer, 
withal;  listened  to  the  confirmation  of  the  children,  for 
which  the  entire  church  had  been  decorated  with  garlands ; 
then  I  went  to  sleep  on  a  pile  of  hay  at  the  railroad  station, 
until  my  company  arrived ;  and  we  rode  on  a  rack-wagon 
with  four  horses,  into  the  Odenwald  and  up  the  Melibokus 
— a  very  pretty  valley  on  the  waj^  up,  something  like  the 
Helenenthal  near  Vienna,  but  so  much  rain  that  we  were 
all  dripping.  The  ladies  here  are  too  easy-mannered  to 
suit  me,  coquettish,  wellnigh  lewd  in  ways  and  speech; 
it  was  the  haute  volee  of  the  local  city  folks.  We  returned 
here  at  two  o'clock  at  night,  and  at  eight  1  had  to  enter 
his  Majesty's  service;  have  been  writing  uninterruptedly 
since,  so  that  my  hand  is  lame,  and  still  German  Unity 
makes  no  headway.  .  .  .  Kiss  the  children  for  me,  and  tell 
Midget  that  yesterday  I  brought  home  an  immense  May- 
bug  from  the  Odenwald,  and  installed  it  in  my  garden ;  it 
was  a  slow-legged  beetle.  .  .  .  Farewell,  my  heart.  Take 
good  care  of  your  health,  and  use  the  milk-diet ;  God  grant 
that  it  agree  with  you.  In  the  New  Testament  I  am  now 
reading  the  Romans;  to-day  chapter  viii.,  which  is  still 
marked  by  a  leaf  of  golden-rod  from  you. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Frankfort,  June  18,  '51. 
MY  ANGEL, —  ...  1  am  dining  to-day  with  old  Roth- 
schild, "Baron  Amschel,"  who  had  an  invitation  sent  to 
me  as  long  as  ten  daj's  ago;  my  answer,  that  "if  I  were 
still  alive  1  would  come,"  has  upset  him,  so  that  he  tells 
everybody  about  it :  "  Why  shouldn't  he  live?  What  should 
the  man  die  for?     Isn't  he  young  and  strong?"  .  .  . 

Your  very  loving  V.  B. 

245 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK     [June, 

Frankfort,  June  23,  '51. 
MY  DARLING, — How  nice  it  was  of  you  that  you  have 
all  written  to  me,  a  true  comfort  for  me,  so  that  I  could  read 
myself  right  into  Reinfeld.  ...  I  am  determined  to  remain 
here  only  as  Envoy  to  the  Diet;  if  they  want  to  keep  me  in 
my  present  post,  a  peaceful  Indian  summer  at  Stolpmiinde 
and  a  very  pretty  autumn  at  Reinfeld  await  us  both,  for 
in  my  present  position  I  shall  be  of  no  use  in  the  long  run, 
and  I  will  return  home  very  gladly  and  without  resent- 
ment if  they  don't  keep  their  word,  as  to  which,  indeed,  1 
do  not  as  yet  know  an37thing  definite;  but  it's  time  that  1 
should  find  out,  for  a  judicious  father  of  a  family  cannot 
always  be  ready  to  march.  In  case  I  do  not  become  En- 
voy, and  am  not  re-elected  in  Brandenburg,  concerning 
which  I  have  no  news  as  yet,  I  shall  be  right  glad  to  spend 
once  more  a  very  quiet  and  gladsome  year  with  you,  my 
sweetheart,  and  the  children.  The  fragrant  wooded  hills 
of  Heidelberg,  and  the  ivy  on  the  castle,  which  you  so 
greatly  admired,  allowed  me  to  dream  and  meditate  wheth- 
er I  should  perhaps  stand  there  this  year  and  watch  the  sun 
set,  with  you  and  the  babies,  or,  at  any  rate,  with  Midget, 
if  the  little  chap  is  too  small.  How  charming  Baden  is, 
and  the  people  are  devoid  of  character,  jumbled  together 
by  the  treaties  of  the  last  generation  under  a  non-heredi- 
tary sovereign  house;  but  they  are  amiable,  and  it  touched 
me  to  see  how  the}T  loved  and  greeted  our  hussars,  and 
exhibited  their  pleasure  and  gratitude.  In  a  wine-room 
at  Bruchsal,  where  1  went  in  the  evening  with  six  or  eight 
officers,  the  landlord  and  his  wife  would  absolutely  not 
accept  payment  of  our  not  inconsiderable  bill;  the  honor 
of  once  again  having  had  Prussian  officers  with  them  suf- 
ficed them.  The  hussars  had  brought  along  a  former 
corporal  of  the  regiment,  Barella,  a  Pole.     His  only  son 

246 


1851]      THE    LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

had  at  that  time  marched  out  with  the  regiment,  and  the 
old  man  had  said  to  him  at  parting,  "  God  preserve  you  to 
me,  but  if  you  accept  quarter  from  those  rascals,  do  not 
again  cross  my  threshold."  In  the  course  of  the  attack 
the  boy  had  been  cut  off  from  the  main  body,  surrounded 
by  the  insurgents,  and  commanded  to  surrender;  he  re- 
plied, "At  your  hands  a  Prussian  hussar  accepts  no 
quarter,  you  damned  hounds!"  and  they  struck  him  from 
his  horse.  The  old  man  wept  bitterly  at  his  grave,  and  in 
the  midst  of  his  weeping  said  to  me,  "  The  brave  lad  died 
like  a  hussar;  he  owed  that  to  the  King."  .  .  .  The  mail 
leaves  at  six,  and  1  don't  like  to  hold  this  letter  over  until 
to-morrow,  because  I  have  not  written  you  since  Wednes- 
day, when  the  Rothschild  dinner  took  place.  There  was 
many  a  hundredweight  of  silverware,  gold  forks  and  spoons, 
fresh  peaches  and  grapes,  and  excellent  wines.  May  God 
grant  us  always  our  daily  bread  and  the  interest  we  have 
to  pay,  and  keep  you,  my  sweetheart,  and  our  parents  and 
children  in  good  health,  and  bless  you  all  richly  with  His 
mercy,  and  I  shall  then  be  quite  content,  whether  here  or 
in  Pomerania.     Farewell,  my  angel. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

The  poodle  was  washed  with  soap  to-day,  snow-white, 
and  sends  his  regards  to  Midget. 

Frankfort,  June  26,  '51. 
MY  DARLING, — To-day  1  have  been  suffering  all  day 
long  from  homesickness.  1  received  your  letter  of  Sunday 
early,  and  then  I  sat  in  the  window  and  smelled  the  summer 
fragrance  of  roses  and  all  sorts  of  shrubs  in  the  little  gar- 
den, and  while  so  doing  I  heard  one  of  your  dear  Beethoven 
pieces,  played  by  an  unknown  hand  on  the  piano,  wafted 

247 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK     [June, 

over  from  some  window  opposite,  distantly  and  in  snatches, 
and  to  me  it  sounded  prettier  than  any  concert.  1  kept 
wondering  why  1  must,  after  all,  be  so  far  away,  for  a  long 
time,  from  you  and  the  children,  while  so  many  people  who 
do  not  love  each  other  at  all  see  one  another  from  morning 
till  night.  It  is  now  seven  months  since  I  received  at 
Reinfeld  the  order  to  join  the  regiment;  since  then  we  have 
twice  paid  each  other  a  hasty  visit,  and  it  will  be  eight  or 
nine  months  before  we  shall  be  again  united.  It  must,  in- 
deed, be  the  Lord's  will,  for  1  have  not  sought  it,  and  when  1 
am  sorrowful  it  is  a  consolation  to  me  that  1  did  not  speak 
a  syllable  in  order  to  come  here,  and  that  ambition  for  out- 
ward pomp  was  not  what  led  me  to  this  separation.  We 
are  not  in  this  world  to  be  happy  and  to  enjoy,  but  to  do  our 
duty;  and  the  less  my  condition  is  a  self-made  one,  the 
more  do  1  realize  that  1  am  to  perform  the  duties  of  the  office 
in  which  1  am  placed.  And  1  certainly  do  not  wish  tc  be 
ungrateful,  for  1  am,  nevertheless,  happy  in  the  knowledge 
of  possessing  so  much  that  is  dear,  even  if  far  away  from 
here,  and  in  the  hope  of  a  happy  reunion.  On  the  arrival 
of  every  letter  from  Reinfeld  my  first  feeling  is  one  of  hearty 
gratitude  for  the  unmerited  happiness  that  I  still  have  you 
in  this  world,  and  with  every  death  of  wife  or  child  which  1 
see  in  the  newspaper  the  consciousness  of  what  I  have  to  lose 
comes  forcibly  home  to  me,  and  of  what  the  merciful  God  has 
granted  and  thus  far  preserved  to  me.  Would  that  gratitude 
therefor  might  so  dispose  my  obstinate  and  worldly  heart 
to  receive  the  mercy  of  the  Lord  that  it  shall  not  be  neces- 
sary for  Him  to  chastise  me  in  what  1  love,  for  1  have  greater 
fear  of  that  than  of  any  other  evil.  ...  In  a  few  weeks  it  must 
be  decided  whether  1  shall  be  made  Envoy  here  or  stay  at 
Reinfeld.  The  Austrians  at  Berlin  are  agitating  against 
my  appointment,  because  my  black-and-white  is  not  suf- 

248 


1851]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

ficiently  yellow  for  them ;  but  I  hardly  believe  they  will  suc- 
ceed, and  you,  my  poor  dear,  will  probably  have  to  jump 
into  the  cold  water  of  diplomacy;  and  the  boy,  unlucky 
wight  that  he  is,  will  have  a  South-German  accent  added 
to  his  Berlin  nativity.  .  .  .  As  far  as  can  now  be  foreseen,  I 
shall  not  be  able  to  get  away  from  this  galley  for  two  or 
three  weeks,  for,  including  Silesia,  that  amount  of  time 
would  probably  be  necessary  for  it.  But  much  water 
will  flow  down  the  Main  before  then,  and  I  am  not  wor- 
rying before  the  time  comes.  How  I  should  like  to  turn 
suddenly  around  the  bushy  corner  of  the  lawn  and  surprise 
all  of  you  in  the  hall!  I  see  you  so  plainly,  attending  to 
the  children,  covering  up  Midget,  with  sensible  speeches, 
and  father  sitting  at  his  desk  smoking,  the  mayor  beside 
him,  and  mammy  bolt-upright  on  her  sofa,  by  wretched 
light,  one  hand  lying  on  the  arm-rest,  or  holding  Musee 
Francais  close  before  her  eyes.  God  grant  that  at  this 
moment  everything  at  Reinfeld  is  going  as  smoothly  as 
this.  I  have  at  last  received  a  letter  from  Hans,  one  that  is 
very  charming,  and,  contrary  to  his  custom,  mysterious, 
in  view  of  the  post-office  spies.  You  may  imagine  how 
Senfft  writes  to  me  under  these  circumstances.  1  received 
an  unsigned  letter  from  him  the  other  day,  out  of  which 
the  most  quick-witted  letter-bandit  would  have  been  at  a 
loss  to  decipher  what  he  was  driving  at.  If  you  occasionally 
come  across  some  unintelligible  notices  at  the  tail  end  of  the 
Observer,  they  will  thus  seem  to  you  more  puzzling  still, 
and  to  the  blockhead  who  breaks  open  this  letter  they  will 
remain  unintelligible,  even  if  I  tell  you  that  they  are  a  part 
of  my  correspondence.  Only  give  me  frequent  tidings, 
my  beloved  heart,  even  if  short  ones,  so  that  I  may  have 
the  assurance  that  you  are  alive  and  well.  I  have  picked 
the  enclosed  leaves  for  you  in  the  garden  of  old  Amschel 

249 


THE  LOVE   LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK      [July, 

Rothschild,  whom  1  like,  because  he  is  simply  a  haggling 
Jew,  and  does  not  pretend  to  be  anything  else,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  a  strictly  orthodox  Jew,  who  touches  nothing 
at  his  dinners,  and  eats  only  "  undefiled  "  food.  "  Johann, 
dage  vid  you  some  bread  for  de  deers,"  he  said  to  his  ser- 
vant as  he  came  out  to  show  me  his  garden,  in  which  there 
were  some  tame  fallow  deer.  "  Baron,  dat  blant  costs  me 
two  thousand  guilders,  honor  bride,  two  thousand  guilders 
gash ;  1  vill  let  you  have  it  for  one  thousand,  or,  if  you  vant 
it  for  nuddings,  he  shall  bring  id  to  your  house.  God  knows 
I  abbrejiate  you  highly,  Baron ;  you  are  a  nize  man,  a  brave 
man."  With  that  he  is  a  little,  thin,  gray  imp  of  a  man, 
the  patriarch  of  his  tribe,  but  a  poor  man  in  his  palace, 
childless,  a  widower,  cheated  by  his  servants,  and  ill- 
treated  by  aristocratically  Frenchified  and  Anglicized 
nephews  and  nieces,  who  will  inherit  his  treasures  without 
gratitude  and  without  love.  Good-night,  my  angel.  The 
clock  is  striking  twelve ;  I  want  to  go  to  bed  and  read  chap.  ii. 
of  the  Second  Epistle  of  St.  Peter.  I  am  now  doing  that  in 
a  systematic  way,  and  when  I  have  finished  St.  Peter,  at 
your  recommendation  1  shall  read  the  Hebrews,  which  I  do 
not  know  at  all  as  yet.  May  God's  protection  and  blessing 
be  with  you  all.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Frankfort,  July  3,  1851. 
My  PET, — Day  before  yesterday  I  very  thankfully  re- 
ceived your  letter  and  the  tidings  that  you  are  all  well. 
But  do  not  forget  when  you  write  to  me  that  the  letters  are 
opened  not  by  me  alone,  but  by  all  sorts  of  postal  spies, 
and  don't  berate  particular  persons  so  much  in  them, 
for  all  that  is  immediately  reported  and  debited  to  my 
account;    besides,  you   do   people   injustice.     Concerning 

250 


I'KINCKSS    HISMAKCK 


1851]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

my  appointment  or  non  -  appointment  I  know  nothing  as 
yet,  except  what  was  told  me  when  I  left ;  everything  else 
is  possibilities  and  surmises.  The  only  crookedness  about 
the  matter  thus  far  has  been  the  government's  silence 
towards  me,  for  it  would  have  been  only  fair  to  let  me  know 
by  this  time,  and  officially,  at  that,  whether  during  next 
month  I  am  to  live  here  or  in  Pomerania  with  wife  and 
child.  Be  very  careful  in  your  remarks  to  every  one  there, 
without  exception,  not  to  Massow  alone;  particularly  in 
your  criticisms  of  individuals,  for  you  have  no  idea  what 
one  experiences  in  this  respect  after  once  becoming  an  ob- 
ject of  surveillance;  be  prepared  to  see  warmed  up  with 
sauce,  here  or  at  Sans  Souci,  what  you  may  perhaps  whis- 
per to  Charlotte*  or  Annie  in  the  boscages  or  the  bathing- 
house.  Forgive  me  for  being  so  admonitory,  but  after 
your  last  letter  I  have  to  take  the  diplomatic  pruning-knife 
in  hand  a  bit.  Do  not  write  me  anything  that  the  police 
may  not  read  and  communicate  to  King,  ministers,  or 
Rochow.  If  the  Austrians  and  many  other  folks  can  suc- 
ceed in  sowing  distrust  in  our  camp,  they  will  thereby  at- 
tain one  of  the  principal  objects  of  their  letter-pilfering. 
Day  before  yesterday  I  took  dinner  at  Wiesbaden,  with 
Dewitz,  and,  with  a  mixture  of  sadness  and  knowing  wis- 
dom, I  inspected  the  scenes  of  past  foolishness.  Would 
that  it  might  please  God  to  fill  with  His  clear  and  strong 
wine  this  vessel,  in  which  at  that  time  the  champagne  of 
twcnty-two-y  ear-old  youth  sparkled  uselessly  away,  leav- 
ing stale  dregs  behind.  Where  and  how  may  Isabella  Lo- 
niine  and  Miss  Russel  be  living  now?  How  many  of  those 
with  whom  I  then  flirted,  tippled,  and  played  dice  are  now 
dead  and  buried!     How  many  transformations  has  my 

*  Frau  von  Zanthier,  born  von  Puttkamer. 
25T 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF    BISMARCK     [July, 

view  of  the  world  undergone  in  the  fourteen  years  which 
have  since  elapsed,  while  I  always  considered  the  existing 
one  as  alone  correct!  and  how  much  is  now  small  to  me 
which  then  appeared  great,  how  much  now  deserving  of 
respect  which  I  then  ridiculed!  How  many  a  green  bud 
within  us  ma}'  still  come  to  mature  blossom  and  wither 
worthlessly  away  before  another  period  of  fourteen  years  is 
over,  in  1865,  if  we  are  then  still  alive!  I  cannot  realize 
how  a  person  who  is  thoughtful  and,  nevertheless,  knows 
nothing  or  wishes  to  know  nothing  of  God,  can  endure 
living  a  despised  and  tedious  life,  a  life  which  is  fleeting  as 
a  stream,  as  a  sleep,  even  as  a  blade  of  grass  that  soon 
withers;  we  spend  our  years  as  in  a  babble  of  talk.  I  do 
not  know  how  1  endured  it  in  the  past ;  if  I  should  live  now 
as  I  did  then,  without  God,  without  you,  without  children, 
I  should,  in  fact,  be  at  a  loss  to  know  why  1  should  not  cast 
off  this  life  like  a  soiled  shirt;  and  yet.  most  of  my  ac- 
quaintances are  thus,  and  they  live.  If  in  the  case  of 
some  one  individual  I  ask  myself  what  reason  he  can  have, 
in  his  own  mind,  for  continuing  to  live,  to  toil,  to  fret,  to 
intrigue,  and  to  spy — verily  I  do  not  know.  Do  not  con- 
clude from  this  scribbling  that  I  happen  to  be  in  a  particu- 
larly black  mood ;  on  the  contrary,  I  feel  as  when,  on  a 
beautiful  September  day,  one  contemplates  the  yellowing 
foliage ;  healthy  and  gay,  but  a  little  sadness,  a  little  home- 
sickness, a  longing  for  woods,  lake,  meadow,  }tou  and  the 
children,  all  mingled  with  the  sunset  and  a  Beethoven 
symphony.  Instead  of  that  I  must  now  call  upon  tiresome 
serene  Highnesses  and  read  endless  figures  about  German 
sloops  of  war  and  cannon -yawls,  which  are  rotting  at 
Bremerhaven  and  devouring  cash.  .  .  .  Farewell,  my  beloved 
heart.  Much  love  to  our  parents,  and  God  keep  you  all. 
Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

252 


1851]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

Frankfort,  July  8,  1851. 
My  DARLING, — Yesterday  and  to-day  I  wished  very 
much  to  write  to  you,  but  owing  to  a  hurly-burly  of  business 
I  have  not  been  able  to  do  so  till  now,  late  in  the  evening, 
after  returning  from  a  walk  during  which,  in  the  charm- 
ing summer-night's  air,  with  moonlight  and  the  rustling 
of  poplar-leaves,  I  have  brushed  off  the  dust  of  the  day's 
documents.  On  Saturday,  in  the  afternoon,  I  went  with 
Rochow  and  Lynar  to  Riidesheim,  hired  a  boat  there, 
rowed  out  on  the  Rhine,  and  swam  in  the  moonlight,  noth- 
ing but  nose  and  eyes  over  the  tepid  water,  as  far  as  the 
Mouse  Tower  near  Bingen,  where  the  wicked  bishop  met 
his  death.  There  is  something  strangely  dreamlike  in 
thus  lying  in  the  water  on  a  quiet,  warm  night,  carried 
gently  along  by  the  tide,  seeing  only  the  sky  with  moon 
and  stars,  and,  alongside,  the  wooded  hill-tops  and  the 
castle  battlements  in  the  moonlight,  hearing  nothing  but 
the  gentle  purling  of  one's  own  motion.  I  should  like  to 
swim  thus  every  evening.  Then  I  drank  some  very  nice 
wine,  and  sat  for  a  long  time  smoking,  with  Lynar,  on  the 
balcony,  the  Rhine  beneath  us.  My  little  Testament  and  the 
starry  firmament  caused  our  conversation  to  turn  on  Chris- 
tian topics,  and  I  hammered  for  a  long  time  at  the  Rousseau- 
like chastity  of  his  soul,  with  no  other  effect  than  to  cause 
him  to  remain  silent.  He  was  ill-treated  while  a  child  by 
nurses  and  private  tutors,  without  having  really  learned 
to  know  his  parents,  and  by  reason  of  a  similar  bringing- 
up  he  has  retained  from  his  youthful  days  opinions  similar 
to  my  own,  but  has  always  been  more  satisfied  with  them 
than  I  ever  was.  Next  morning  we  went  by  steamer  to 
Coblentz,  breakfasted  there  for  an  hour,  and  returned  by 
the  same  route  to  Frankfort,  where  we  arrived  in  the  even- 
ing.    I  really  undertook  the  expedition  with  the  object  of 

253 


THE   LOVE    LETTERS    OF    BISMARCK     [July, 

visiting  old  Metternich  at  Johannisberg ;  he  had  invited 
me,  but  the  Rhine  pleased  me  so  much  that  I  preferred  to 
take  a  pleasure  ride  to  Coblentz,  and  postponed  the  call. 
You  and  I  saw  him  that  time  on  our  trip  directly  after  the 
Alps,  and  in  bad  weather;  on  this  summer  morning,  and 
after  the  dusty  tedium  of  Frankfort,  he  again  rose  high  in 
my  esteem.  I  promise  myself  much  relish  from  spending 
a  few  days  with  you  at  Rudesheim,  the  place  is  so  quiet 
and  country-like,  good  people  and  low-priced,  and  then  we 
shall  hire  a  little  row-boat,  ride  leisurely  down,  climb  the 
Niederwald,  and  this  and  that  castle,  and  return  by  the 
steamer.  One  can  leave  here  early  in  the  morning,  remain 
for  eight  hours  at  Rudesheim,  Bingen,  Rheinstein,  etc., 
and  be  here  again  at  night.  My  appointment  at  this  place 
does  not  appear  to  be  certain,  and  Hans  is  going  to  Coblentz 
as  Lord-Lieutenant ;  will  live  there  in  a  stately  palace,  with 
the  finest  view  in  all  Prussia.  By  leaving  here  early,  one 
reaches  Coblentz  by  half  past  ten,  and  is  back  in  the  even- 
ing; that  is  easier  than  from  Reinfeld  to  Redden  tin,  and  a 
prettier  road.  You  see  we  are  not  forsaken  here;  but  who 
would  have  thought,  when  we  went  to  the  wedding  in  Kie- 
kow,  that  both  of  us  should  be  removed  from  our  innocent 
Pomeranian  solitude  and  hurled  to  the  summits  of  life, 
speaking  in  worldly  fashion,  to  political  outposts  on  the 
Rhine?  The  ways  of  the  Lord  are  passing  strange.  May 
He  likewise  take  our  souls  out  of  their  darkness  and  lift 
them  to  the  bright  summits  of  His  grace.  That  position 
would  be  more  secure.  But  He  has  certainly  taken  us  vis- 
ibly into  His  hand,  and  will  not  let  me  fall,  even  though 
1  sometimes  make  myself  a  heavy  weight.  The  interview 
with  Lynar  the  other  day  has  truly  enabled  me  to  cast  a 
grateful  (but  not  pharisaical)  glance  over  the  distance 
which  lies  between  me  and  my  previous  unbelief;  may  it 

254 


1851]       THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

increase  continually,  until  it  has  attained  the  proper  meas- 
ure. ...  1  am  already  beginning  to  look  about  here  for  a 
house,  preferably  outside  of  the  city,  with  a  garden ;  there 
my  darling  will  have  to  play  a  very  stiff,  self-contained  part, 
see  much  tedious  society,  give  dinners  and  balls,  and  as- 
sume terribly  aristocratic  airs.  What  do  you  say  to  hav- 
ing dancing  at  your  house  until  far  into  the  night?  Prob- 
ably it  cannot  be  avoided,  my  beloved  heart — that  is  part 
of  the  "service."  I  can  see  mother's  blue  eyes  grow  big 
with  wonder  at  the  thought.  I  am  going  to  bed,  to  read 
Corinthians  i.,  3,  and  pray  God  to  preserve  you  all  to  me, 
and  grant  you  a  quiet  night  and  health  and  peace.  Dearest 
love  to  your  parents.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

LlEBENSTEIN,  July  26,  1851. 

MY  DARLING, — From  my  little  letter  which  I  wrote  you 
from  Berlin  you  know  how  it  is  that  1  happen  to  be  here; 
I  arrived  the  night  before  last  in  such  a  terrific  thunder- 
storm that  1  hardly  survived  the  four  miles  from  Eisenach 
up  into  these  mountains,  as  the  lightning  was  my  only 
torch;  all  else  was  so  jet-black  that  in  the  open  carriage  I 
was  unable  to  see  as  far  as  the  driver  on  the  box.  I  found 
Albert  tolerably  clear  in  his  mind  again,  but  with  the  train 
of  thoughts  of  a  three-year-old  child.  ...  I  do  not  believe 
that  he  will  leave  Liebenstein  alive;  the  symptoms  are 
those  of  approaching  death;  but  God's  help  is  mighty,  and 
aunty  is  calm  and  quiet,  untiring  and  kind  in  her  nursing 
by  day  and  night.  Yesterday  he  was  somewhat  more  lively, 
but  worse  again  this  morning,  so  that  at  aunty's  solicita- 
tion 1  countermanded  the  order  for  my  carriage,  as  to-mor- 
row is  Sunday,  anyway;  but  I  cannot  stay  longer  than 
to-morrow  morning.  The  doctors  say  that,  considering  his 
uncommonly  sound  constitution,  he  may,  indeed,  recover, 

255 


THE   LOVE    LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK     [July, 

but  that  it  is  not  likely,  and  already  they  are  treating  him 
as  if  they  were  more  at  pains  to  ameliorate  his  last  days 
than  to  sustain  hopes  of  his  life.  I  am  very  glad  that  I 
came  here ;  I  was  able  to  be  of  assistance  to  them  mentally 
as  well  as  physically,  or,  rather,  in  a  doctor-like  way.  May 
God,  by  His  grace,  assist  aunty  to  maintain  the  strength 
and  calm  which  she  now  has.  This  is  a  miserable  hole; 
nothing  to  be  had — no  beds,  no  furniture,  no  human  beings. 
For  the  past  week  they  have  kept  ice  poultices  on  his  head, 
and  the  body's  natural  functions  have  to  be  in  part  as- 
sisted artificially,  while  in  part  they  go  on  unconsciously. 
It  is  pitiful  to  see.  .  .  . 

Late  at  Night. 
Albert  is  getting  along  better  since  noon ;  he  talks  more 
sensibly  and  moves  his  limbs.     Still  I  cannot  indulge  in 
hope  as  yet;  he  is  too  low.     Farewell,  my  beloved  angel. 
Day  after  to-morrow  1  shall  write  from  Frankfort. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Frankfort,  July  29,  '51. 
MY  BELOVED  HEART, — 1  am  very  sad  because  I  have 
not  yet  a  letter  from  you,  and  am  tortured  by  anxieties  on 
that  account.  You  have  doubtless  received  mine  from 
Berlin  and  Liebenstein?  When  I  left,  Albert  had  been 
much  better  for  several  hours ;  his  mind  was  clearer,  and 
he  had  an  idea  of  his  situation,  and  a  sense  of  gratitude 
for  the  nursing;  it  was  touching  to  see  his  modesty  and 
contentment ;  his  behavior  was  just  like  that  of  an  obedient 
child.  But  still  the  doctors  had  no  confidence  that  he  would 
recover.  God  strengthen  the  poor  aunt.  It  seemed  to  me 
at  parting  that  I  was  leaving  the  last  piece  of  Pomerania 
behind  me,  and  now  had  to  go  back  to  school  here.  .  .  . 

256 


1851]      THE    LOVE   LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK 

Since  seeing  the  tiresome  people  here  again  it  seems  to  me 
quite  unnecessary  that  you  should  be  so  afraid  of  appearing 
among  them ;  it  is  not  at  all  worth  while.  I  am  quite  sick 
with  longing  for  you  and  the  children ;  I  feel  here  as  I  did 
in  the  solitude  of  Kniephof  on  returning  there  after  a  long 
absence;  and  the  papers  which  have  accumulated  lie  so 
thickly  about  me ;  every  one  is  storming  in  on  me  with  mat- 
ters that  are  in  a  hurry,  and  it  all  vexes  me.  .  .  .  Do  write 
me  quite  often ;  it  is  my  only  ray  of  light  here  when  I  see  a 
letter  from  you,  which  forms  the  long,  thin  thread  of  com- 
munication between  my  love  and  me,  otherwise  1  live  here 
simply  like  a  machine.  If  you  could  realize  my  situation 
here,  you  would  overwhelm  me  with  letters.  God's  bless- 
ing be  with  you,  my  heart,  and  bring  me  quickly  glad 
tidings  from  you.  Give  love  to  Annie  and  your  parents 
from  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Frankfort,  August  5,  '51. 
MY  SWEETHEART,— Day  before  yesterday  I  had  to 
pay  Hans  a  visit  in  Coblentz,  on  business;  before  leaving 
I  went  to  the  post-office  to  see  whether  a  letter  had  come 
from  you  overnight,  but  in  vain ;  sad  and  anxious,  I  took 
my  departure.  Yesterday,  on  the  way  back,  I  wanted  to 
see  Metternich  on  the  Johannisberg,  but  when,  at  Bingen, 
it  was  a  question  of  getting  out,  the  impulse  to  come  here, 
where  I  now  confidently  hoped  to  find  tidings,  was  too 
strong;  I  remained  on  the  boat,  passed  by  the  Johannis- 
berg, came  here  by  rail,  and  entered  my  room  expectantly; 
there  were  letters  enough,  but  none  from  you.  But,  at  any 
rate,  there  was  one  from  father,  written  at  Liebenstein, 
which  gave  me  the  semi-reassurance  that  up  to  the  27th 
you  had  all  been  well.  But  I  am  very  sorry  that  dad  is  not 
R  257 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Aug. 

coming  here  from  Liebenstein ;  that  is  a  short  day's  trip;  he 
writes  that  he  is  starting  on  the  5th,  i.e.,  to-day,  on  his  return 
trip  from  L.,  so  that  L  or  a  letter  from  me,  would  not  find 
him  there,  even  with  the  utmost  expedition.  Moritz,  too, 
has  written  me  a  short  letter,  in  which  he  confirms  what 
he  foresaw  when  1  passed  through  Plathe,  and  confided  to 
me  under  the  pledge  of  secrecy;  you  will  probably  read 
it  in  the  papers  before  this  letter  arrives — Hed wig's  be- 
trothal to  Wangemann.  If  it  has  not  yet  been  made  public, 
then  say  nothing  about  it.  Now  I  shall  still  wait  here 
until  to-morrow  morning  for  a  letter  from  you,  then  I  must 
go  to  Johannisberg,  to  Prince  M.,  who  has  already  in- 
vited me  for  the  third  time  without  my  having  been  there. 
I  have  now  been  away  from  you  for  seventeen  days,  and 
not  a  syllable  of  news  as  yet;  my  consequent  anxiety 
does  not  leave  me  for  a  moment,  and  unfits  me  for  all  oc- 
cupations. I  shall  have  to  endeavor  to  become  more  in- 
different in  my  solicitude  as  to  the  welfare  of  my  family, 
for  otherwise,  if  such  intervals  in  our  correspondence  occur 
again,  I  shall  be  unfit  to  perform  the  duties  of  my  office 
here.  This  is  the  fifth  letter  I  have  written  you  since  my 
departure,  and  I  also  addressed  one  to  mother  last  week, 
begging  her  to  inform  me  as  to  your  health.  Father  holds 
out  little  hope  regarding  Albert;  you  will  doubtless  have 
word  from  him  direct.  May  the  Lord  have  you  and  the 
children  in  His  keeping,  and  soon  put  an  end  to  my  uncer- 
tainty, which  makes  me  physically  and  mentally  ill. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Frankfort,  August  11,  '51. 
My  DARLING, — The  salutary  shower  of  letters  which  I 
am  enjoying,  after  a  long  period  of  drought,  has  refreshed 

258 


1851]       THE  LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

my  soul  and  brought  about  a  change  of  mood  of  which  I 
was  much  in  need.  For  when  the  seventeenth,  eighteenth, 
nineteenth  day  passed  with  no  sign  from  your  generally 
active  pen,  I  exhausted  myself  in  adventurous  surmises; 
now  I  was  angry,  and  bethought  myself  how  I  would  scold 
you ;  now  anxiety  got  the  upper  hand ;  1  went  sadly  to  bed, 
and  awoke  with  that  sort  of  fright  which  generally,  in 
unpleasant  situations,  accompanies  the  first  return  to  con- 
sciousness. Now  all  is  well  again,  and  I  will  not  scold 
further,  but  rejoice  that  you  and  the  children  are  well,  and 
that  you  are  having  good  weather  for  bathing.  Some  of 
my  ejaculations  will  have  reached  you  in  the  meantime ;  I 
wrote  last  to  father  at  Stolpe,  the  day  before  I  received  your 
first  letter.  Meanwhile  1  have  been  with  Hans;  he  lives 
charmingly,  in  a  mansion  which  is  larger  than  Bellevue 
Palace  at  Berlin,  with  a  terrace  and  veranda  just  over 
the  Rhine,  facing  Ehrenbreitstein.  Our  new  Aunt  Char- 
lotte is  lovely,  and  pretty,  too,  save  for  her  mouth;  she 
seems  to  me  almost  too  demure;  they  both  appear  to  be 
very  fond  of  each  other,  as  is  natural;  she  is  orientally 
obedient,  and  he  is  all  official  zeal,  which,  in  a  way,  seems 
rather  forced;  once  he  is  sitting  among  his  papers  he  no 
longer  knows  a  mortal  soul.  Wednesday  and  Thursday 
I  spent  with  old  Metternich ;  he  was  very  kind  and  cordial, 
conversed  uninterruptedly  about  1788  to  1848,  about  poli- 
tics and  vineyards,  about  literature  and  forestry,  and  com- 
bated my  doleful  absent-mindedness,  which  was  brooding 
over  the  reasons  for  your  silence,  with  his  best  Johannis- 
berger.  I  had  a  room  overlooking  the  Rhine  and  the  hills ; 
it  was  a  splendid,  warm,  moonlight  night,  and  I  lay  for  a 
long  time  in  the  window,  thinking  sorrowfully  of  Vevay, 
of  the  Lake  of  Traun,  and  of  the  cold  October  day  when  we 
both  travelled  down  the  Rhine,  and  how  green  overcoats 

259 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK       [Aug. 

may  guard  against  outward  cold,  while  against  inward 
frost  there  is  no  protection  but  austere  endurance  and  ab- 
negation. I  dreamed  I  was  in  Schonhausen,  where  child- 
hood and  the  present  were  unpleasantly  interwoven,  and 
when  I  awoke  I  found  it  difficult  to  bring  my  thoughts  back 
to  Johannisberg.  Early  in  the  morning,  pending  the  ar- 
rival of  my  boat,  I  took  a  drive  to  the  Niederwald ;  when 
you  come  you  shall  see  how  charming  that  is.  It  is  some- 
thing like  the  Rosstreppe,  only  with  the  Rhine  instead  of 
the  Bode  River  below.  .  .  .  The  Prince  of  Prussia  was  here 
yesterday.  I  accompanied  him  from  Darmstadt,  and 
found  that  he  is  now  very  well  disposed  towards  me,  of 
which  I  am  very  glad,  for,  apart  from  external  appear- 
ances, he  is  a  noble-minded  soul.  He  did  not  touch  on  the 
matter  of  Hans's  appointment,  and  neither  did  I.  I  can 
easily  realize  that  Hed wig's  engagement  must  agitate  you 
greatly.  Moritz  spoke  to  me  about  it  at  Plathe,  as  of  some- 
thing unavoidable,  unless  Wangemann  returns  changed 
from  his  trip  to  Switzerland.  I  shall  be  glad  if  Hedwig's 
ossifying  life-plant  greens  out  once  more;  after  the  joyless 
life  she  has  led  lately,  I  do  not  begrudge  her  the  happiness 
she  seeks ;  whether  she  will  find  it,  we  are  not  competent  to 
judge.  That  Moritz  must  marry  is  certain,  and  in  all 
probability  his  sister  will  not  leave  him  before  then. 
Could  we  not  make  a  couple  of  him  and  Therese? 
But  I  am  ashamed  to  be  mentally  making  her  a  bridal- 
wreath  while  she  is,  perhaps,  standing  beside  Albert's 
death-bed.   ...  In  affectionate  love, 

Your  most  faithful 

V.  B. 

Who  told  you  the  yarn  about  Petersburg?    I  am  not 
thinking  of  it ! 

260 


1851]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK 

Frankfort,  August  16,  '51. 
It  is  already  late,  my  darling,  but  after  writing  all  day 
in  his  Majesty's  service,  and  receiving  calls,  then  partak- 
ing of  an  interminably  long  and  solemn  dinner  with  the 
reigning  mayor,  taking  a  digestive  promenade,  and  now 
working  again  for  a  few  hours,  I  must  still  have  a  little 
chat  with  my  dearest,  particularly  as  1  shall  probably 
not  have  time  to  write  during  the  next  few  days.  I  am  a 
real  heathen,  for  I  do  not  get  to  church  any  more,  and  al- 
ways travel  on  Sundays  —  arriving  here  four  weeks  ago 
from  Reinfeld,  and  three  weeks  ago  from  Liebenstein; 
two  weeks  ago  to  Hans,  last  week  to  Darmstadt,  to  call  for 
the  Prince  of  Prussia,  and  to-morrow  to  Coblentz,  King- 
ward.  1  have  a  very  guilty  conscience  about  it;  for  I 
serve  men  on  the  day  when  I  should  serve  only  God,  and 
always  have  the  stupid  excuse  that  it's  useful  or  necessary 
to  do  so.  The  King  will  stay  at  Mayence  day  after  to- 
morrow, and  will  ride  through  here  on  Tuesday.  To-mor- 
row evening  he  arrives  at  Stolzenfels.  I  have  now  really 
received  my  appointment  as  delegate  to  the  Diet,  and  in  a 
few  days  I  shall  be  initiated,  and  Rochow  will  take  his  de- 
parture. They  have  cut  off  three  thousand  rix-dollars 
from  my  salary ;  neither  do  they  seem  disposed  to  pay  me 
an  allowance  for  installation  expenses.  The  latter  fact  is 
most  unpleasant  to  me,  for  the  initial  establishment  will 
cost  several  thousand  dollars,  at  any  rate.  It  is  possible, 
moreover,  to  get  along  well  and  elegantly  with  eighteen 
thousand,  which  is  fifty  rix-dollars  per  day,  but  I  feel  un- 
comfortable by  reason  of  not  having  a  criterion  and  estimate 
of  this  new  sort  of  existence,  so  that  1  could  cut  my  cloth 
accordingly,  as  to  lodgings  and  furnishings.  As  soon  as  I 
am  at  leisure  I  shall  write  to  Fritz  about  a  second  valet,  and 
a  maid  for  you ;    I  shall  probably  not  engage  additional 

261 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Aug. 

people  now,  as  I  can  hardly  procure  horses  and  a  carriage 
before  spring,  and  meanwhile  I  shall  make  out  by  rent- 
ing a  carriage.  Your  coming  here  will  now,  next  to  your 
own  wishes  and  requirements,  depend  on  whether  I  find 
lodgings,  of  which  there  is  not  a  large  variety  to  choose 
from,  because  I  want  a  garden  by  all  means,  and  not  man}7 
spacious  dwellings  stand  available.  I  have  received,  with 
many  thanks,  a  long,  kind  letter  from  dad,  and  have  gladly 
given  thanks  to  God  that  you  are  all  well,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  your  teeth,  my  poor  little  wight;  would  that  these 
agitations,  which  are  undoubtedly  caused  by  your  sea- 
bathing, might  prove  to  be  good  signs  that  you  will  return 
from  the  sea-shore  quite  well.  Hearty  love  to  mother,  and 
many  thanks,  too,  for  her  kind,  letters.  I  am  too  much 
driven  just  now  to  be  able  to  answer  her.  I  can  hardly  go 
out  walking  as  much  as  I  need  to,  in  order  not  to  be  troubled 
with  headache.  Generally  I  go  out  in  the  evening,  in 
these  grand,  warm,  moonlight  nights,  before  going  to  bed. 
The  latter  I  am  going  to  do  now,  moreover,  as  I  am  getting 
sleepy,  and  must  rise  early  to-morrow.  Fare  very  well, 
my  sweetheart.  May  God's  blessing  and  protection  be 
with  you  and  all  the  loved  ones. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Frankfort,  August  23,  '51. 
MY  DARLING, — In  the  midst  of  business  the  mail  time 
comes  on,  and  yet  I  will  write  you  hurriedly  rather  than 
not  at  all.  I  have  been  continually  on  the  move  since 
Monday.  First  of  all,  a  great  gala  dinner  here  for  the 
Emperor  of  Austria,  at  which  certainly  twenty  thousand 
rix- dollars'  worth  of  gold -encumbered  uniforms  sat  at 
table;  then  to  Mayence  to  receive  the  King;  he  was  quite 

262 


1851]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

gracious  with  me,  joking  harmlessly  and  gayly  for  the 
first  time  in  a  long  while.  A  grand  supper,  then  work  with 
Manteuffel  until  nearly  two,  then  a  cigar  with  dear  old 
Stolberg,  up  again  at  half  past  five,  review,  then  by  rail  to 
this  place,  the  King  taking  me  into  his  coupe;  a  grand 
presentation  here,  I  going  along  to  Darmstadt;  dinner 
there,  the  King  went  afterwards  to  Baden,  I  returning  here 
again  in  the  evening,  after  three  weary  hours  with  the 
Minister  there.  On  Wednesday,  while  still  in  bed,  I  was 
called  to  go  to  the  Duke  of  Nassau  at  Biberich;  ate  there; 
the  Duchess  asked  me  to  come  again  often  without  invi- 
tation, particularly  with  you,  my  heart,  when  you  should 
be  here.  I  returned  late  in  the  evening,  to  be  awakened 
early  next  morning  by  President  Gerlach  and  Jacob,  who 
seized  me  and  bore  me  off  to  Heidelberg,  where  I  stayed 
overnight,  and  spent  some  charming  hours  with  him  at 
the  Wolfsbrunn  Castle  and  in  Neckarsteinach ;  I  returned 
from  this  spree  only  last  night.  G.  was  more  charm- 
ing than  ever;  did  not  dispute  at  all;  was  enthusiastic, 
poetical,  and  devoted ;  but  she  was  impervious  to  all  that, 
otherwise  good.  Day  before  yesterday,  at  the  castle,  we 
saw  a  sunset  like  ours  on  the  Rigi ;  yesterday  we  break- 
fasted on  the  summit,  went  on  foot  to  Wolfsbrunn,  where 
I  drank  beer  at  the  same  table  as  with  you ;  then  we 
rode  up  the  Neckar  to  Steinach,  and  separated  at  Heidel- 
berg in  the  evening.  Today  G.  goes  to  Coblentz,  Jaocb 
to  Italy.  It  was  quite  charming;  only  you  were  having  a 
good  time,  too,  while  1  was  so  gay;  only  write  me  oftener 
than  hitherto;  in  the  last  nine  days  I  have  again  had 
only  one  letter,  but  a  very  dear  one.  I  have  not  had  time 
in  the  midst  of  all  these  doings  to  reflect  on  poor  Al- 
bert. Alexander  wrote  me  of  his  death.  May  the  Lord 
graciously  and  mercifully  receive  his  peaceful  spirit,  and 

263 


THE    LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Aug. 

grant  future  firmness  of  faith  to  the  dear  aunt,  that  she 
may  not  suddenly  collapse,  now  that  all  is  over  and  quiet ; 
hitherto  she  has  been  heroically  strong.  How  will  things 
go  in  Redden  tin?  Surely  she  will  go  on  living  there. 
That  can  be  arranged  with  Uncle  Henry,  and  it  will  be 
more  agreeable  to  her.     God  keep  you. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Frankfort,  August  28,  '51. 
MY  BELOVED  ANGEL,  —  I  am  beginning  this  letter 
with  a  lame  wrist,  for  since  eight  o'clock  my  pen  has  not 
been  at  rest,  and  I  am  quite  confused  about  the  letters. 
Yesterday  1  was  introduced  in  the  Diet;  Rochow  left  day 
before  yesterday,  and  the  matter  is  now  settled.  .  .  .  This 
whole  expedition  will  be  a  difficult  piece  of  work  for  both  of 
us,  my  darling,  but  then  I  am  glad  that  I  see  at  last  some 
prospect  of  being  reunited  with  you  and  the  children  in  a 
lasting  home-life.  Then  your  poor  dear  parents  lie  always 
heavily  on  my  heart  with  their  solitude ;  would  to  God  that 
things  had  so  shaped  themselves  that  we  might  have  con- 
tinued to  live  together,  or,  at  least,  not  have  drifted  so  far 
apart.  We  are  not  in  this  life,  however,  for  the  sake  of  com- 
fort, but  we  owe  ourselves  and  our  energies  to  the  service  of 
God,  the  King,  and  the  country.  Do  write  me  at  once  con- 
cerning our  poor  dear  Reddentins;  ever  since  Liebenstein 
I  have  had  no  hope  for  Albert,  and  I  did  not  receive  the  news 
unexpectedly.  My  continued  occupations  seldom  give  me 
leisure  for  reflection  and  sadness,  but  in  thoughts  of  you 
and  the  children  I  have  a  criterion  of  what  it  means  to  lose 
one's  only  grown-up  son,  after  having  possessed  him  for 
thirty  years.  May  the  Lord's  mercy  protect  us  from  such 
tribulation.     I  do  not  believe  I  am  sufficiently  resigned  to 

264 


1851]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

bear  it  in  such  a  Christian  spirit  as  dear  aunty  does.  The 
manner  of  your  removal  and  the  children's,  and  the  selec- 
tion of  what  we  need  here  from  Schonhausen  and  what  we 
shall  have  to  purchase,  I  find  wellnigh  more  difficult  than 
the  Diet  affairs.  .  .  .  Write  me  the  result  of  the  discussions 
between  your  wisdom  and  that  of  your  parents  about  the 
arrangements  for  the  journey,  and,  at  any  rate,  write  me 
quickly  and  much  and  often;  I  have  so  very  little  time 
from  morning  to  night,  you  must  write  much  oftener  than 
I.  Many  greetings  to  your  parents.  Farewell,  my  beloved 
heart.     The  Lord's  goodness  be  your  shield. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Frankfort,  August  30,  '51. 
To  Frau  von  Bismarck,  Reinfeld,  near  Zuckers  : 

Your  letter  of  Monday-Tuesday,  my  dear,  which  I  have 
just  received,  has  so  frightened  me  that  I  can  think  of 
nothing  but  whether  our  Midget  is  still  living  to-day  or 
not;  according  to  your  letter  you  have,  in  the  natural 
course  of  things,  but  little  hope.  God,  the  Lord  of  life  and 
death,  can  help  her,  perhaps  has  helped  her,  but  at  this 
distance  it  is  terrible  to  have  only  tidings  which  are  five 
days  old,  and  not  to  know  how  things  are  going  to-day. 
I  confidently  hope  to  hear  from  you  again  to-morrow,  and 
pray  God  the  news  may  be  better  than  to-day's.  Do  write 
me  oftener,  anyway,  my  angel ;  again  this  letter  now  lying 
before  me  is  the  first  sign  of  life  which  1  have  had  from 
you  for  over  a  week,  and  I  was  already  beginning  to  be 
sorrowful  that  you  think  of  me  so  seldom.  Business  mat- 
ters here  have  no  regard  for  my  feelings,  and  while  my 
heart  is  filled  with  anxiety  on  the  child's  account,  1  must 

265 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK   [Sept. '51 

listen  to  and  discuss  the  greatest  variety  of  matters,  attend 
three  different  committee  meetings,  and  carefully  weigh  my 
words,  and  negotiate  a  dozen  different  things,  which,  with 
this  solicitude  and  uncertainty,  1  find  it  very  hard  to  do. 
If  you  wish  to  inform  me  hurriedly,  write  to  the  Neu  Preu- 
ssischen  Zeitung,  under  the  direction,  "  To  be  forwarded  at 
once  by  express,"  asking  that  it  be  telegraphed  to  me; 
particularly  if  you  have  occasion  to  send  good  news  after 
bad,  make  haste  to  free  me  from  anxiety.  I  hope  that 
our  separation  will  last  but  a  few  weeks  more,  and  by  God's 
grace  this  manner  of  notifying  me  will  no  longer  be  requi- 
site. May  the  Lord's  mercy  preserve  us  from  misfortune, 
and  not  punish  us,  and  me  particularly,  in  our  children 
for  our  transgressions. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

I  have  just  turned  at  random  to  a  Psalm,  to  comfort  my- 
self, and  happened  on  the  112th,  which  is  very  beautiful. 


FRANKFORT,  September  6,  '51. 
As  from  the  Chamber,  my  love,  I  now  write  you  while  in 
a  session  of  the  Diet;  which  is  somewhat  more  difficult,  as 
little  speaking  is  done  here,  but  at  every  stroke  important 
resolutions  are  taken,  so  that  one  must  be  very  attentive 
when  the  readings  take  place.  Therefore  but  two  words. 
For  a  week  I  have  been  overburdened,  just  as  in  the  Cham- 
ber— hardly  a  moment  of  leisure,  hardly  an  hour  for  taking 
a  walk  at  night.  .  .  .  God  be  praised  that  our  little  daughter 
has  recovered;  1  was  very  frightened  and  anxious.  1 
calculate  that  you  will  soon  start  on  your  journey,  and  that 
by  the  1st  of  October  we  shall  be  installed  here.  ...  I  am 
much  embarrassed  in  writing  by  the  fact  that  his  Excellency 

266 


Jan. '52]  THE  LOVE  LETTERS  OF  BISMARCK 

the  Royal  Bavarian  Ambassador  is  looking  over  my  shoul- 
der at  the  letter ;  therefore  I  close  with  heartiest  love  to  your 
dear  parents,  and  to  you,  my  sweetheart,  and  with  a  kiss 
for  the  children.  Do  write  me  at  least  twice  a  week,  my 
angel;  certainly  you  are  not  so  busy  that  you  could  not 
do  that.  .  .  .  Now  1  must  vote  so  as  to  demolish  the  fleet 
and  make  it  Prussian.     God  bless  you. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Halle,  January  7,  '52. 
To  Frau  von  Bismarck,  Frankfort-on-the-Main,  Bocken- 
heimer : 
I  have  never,  so  far  as  I  know,  written  to  you  from  this 
place,  and  I  hope  that  I  shall  not  have  to  do  so  again  here- 
after. 1  have  been  trying  very  hard  to  think  whether  per- 
haps yesterday  was  not  Friday,  after  all,  when  1  left;  it 
was  certainly  a  dies  nefastus  (Zietelmann*  will  tell  you 
what  that  means).  At  Giessen  I  got  into  an  abominably 
cold  room,  with  three  windows  that  would  not  close,  a  bed 
that  was  too  short  and  too  narrow,  dirty,  bedbugs.  About 
two  o'clock  a  shrewd  idea  occurred  to  me  to  put  on  the 
great  fur  coat,  lie  down  on  the  bed  with  it,  and  sleep  for 
one  hour ;  infamous  coffee,  than  which  I  never  knew  worse. 
At  Guntershausen  some  ladies  entered  the  first-class,  and 
the  smoking  ceased;  one  of  them  was  a  superior  lady  of 
business  (Zietelmann  will  tell  you  what  that  is),  with  two 
chambermaids,  Stolipinic  sable-skin;  spoke  German  with 
an  alternately  Russian  and  English  accent,  very  good 
French,  a  little  English ;  but  seemed  to  me  to  be  from  the 
Reezengasse,  and  one  of  the  chambermaids  was  apparently 

*  Government  Councillor  at  the  Legation. 
267 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK        [Feb. 

her  mother,  or  elderly  business  friend  (Zietelmann,  etc. ,  etc.) . 
Between  Guntershausen  and  Gerstungen  one  of  the  pipes 
of  the  locomotive  quietly  burst ;  the  water  ran  out ;  there  we 
were,  one  and  a  half  hours  in  the  open  air,  a  very  pretty 
region  and  warm  sunshine.  I  had  taken  a  seat  in  the 
second-class  in  order  to  smoke,  and  there  fell  into  the  hands 
of  a  Berlin  colleague,  a  Chamber  and  Privy  Councillor, 
who  had  now  been  taking  the  Homburg  waters  for  two 
weeks,  for  constipation  (Zietelmann),  and  questioned  me 
and  called  me  to  account,  in  the  presence  of  several  Jews, 
until,  at  my  wits'  end,  I  returned  home  to  the  Princess 
from  the  Reezengasse.  By  reason  of  the  delay  we  reached 
Halle  three  hours  late ;  the  Berlin  train  had  left  long  before. 
I  shall  have  to  sleep  here,  and  travel  on  the  freight-train 
to-morrow  morning  at  half  past  six,  arriving  at  two.  Here 
at  the  railway  station  there  are  two  hostelries;  through 
an  oversight  I  happened  into  the  wrong  one;  a  policeman 
walked  up  and  down  in  the  room  and  critically  contem- 
plated my  beard  while  I  ate  a  musty  beefsteak.  I  am 
very  miserable,  but  shall  still  eat  the  remains  of  the  smoked 
goose- breast,  drink  a  little  port-wine,  and  then  go  to  bed. 
Sleep  well,  my  sweetheart.  Many  greetings  to  Leontine* 
and  all  our  children.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Frankfort,  February  5,  '52. 
DEAR  MOTHER,— The  illness  of  Count  Thun  brings 
me  some  unexpected  leisure  to-day,  which  I  utilize  to  write 
you  a  few  lines  after  a  protracted  pause.  In  the  next 
room  Johanna  is  palavering  like  a  waterfall  with  a  French- 
woman, who  is  here  to  recommend  another  one,  now  resid- 

*  Fraulein  von  Schlabrendorff. 
268 


1852]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

ing  at  Leipsic.  .  .  .  The  boy  is  just  coming  in  with  an 
infamous  girl's-cap  on  his  head,  puts  his  fat  hands  on  the 
table  and  asks  me :  "  Papa,  what  are  you  writing?"  Little 
Marie  stretches  herself  in  the  big  chair,  and  remarks 
precociously,  "I  am  inordinately  fond  of  my  tot."  Both 
scamps  are  cheerful  and  strong  thus  far,  God  be  thanked. 
Leontine  spoils  the  boy  beyond  measure,  and  accuses  us 
of  doing  likewise  with  Marie,  while  1  am  conscious,  withal, 
of  my  Aristidean  fairness.  .  .  .  On  Sunday  we  had  a  gala 
dinner  at  Darmstadt,  with  the  Grand  Duke.  Johanna 
was  quite  stately  in  blue-and-white  satin,  entertained  at 
table  the  Prince's  heir-apparent,  who  is  somewhat  hard  of 
hearing,  as  well  as  a  stone-deaf  old  Minister  with  a  sono- 
rous voice;  and  the  reigning  Princess,  a  Bavarian  lady, 
told  me  many  flattering  things  about  my  wife's  "good 
look,"  which  would  have  pleased  your  maternal  heart. 
For  the  rest  we  lead  a  life  which,  despite  its  commotion,  is, 
nevertheless,  monotonous.  My  time  from  morning  tea 
until  twelve  is  usually  taken  up  with  ambassadors'  calls, 
and  still  more  with  reports  by  officials  of  our  embassy; 
then  I  have  meetings  which  end  any  time  between  the 
hours  of  one  and  four,  and  give  me  until  five  o'clock  either 
to  go  out  riding  and  attend  to  the  necessary  autographic 
correspondence,  or  only  for  the  latter.  At  five  a  primeval 
old  Councillor,  who  has  held  that  post  ever  since  1816,  and 
is  called  Kelchner,  makes  his  appearance,  to  extort  from 
me  the  signatures  necessary  for  mail  time;  then  we  dine, 
generally  in  the  company  of  one  or  both  attaches ;  and  the 
hour  for  digestion,  although  I  am  often  called  away  while 
the  last  bite  is  still  in  my  mouth,  constitutes,  as  a  rule,  the 
most  comfortable  part  of  the  day,  when,  surrounded  by 
Johanna  and  the  children,  I  lie  smoking  in  the  great  tiger 
chair,  and  skim  over  some  twenty  newspapers.     Then,  at 

269 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK      [Feb. 

nine  or  half  past,  word  comes  that  the  carriage  is  waiting, 
and,  full  of  bitter  reflections  anent  the  strangeness  of  social 
"  amusements  "  in  the  European  world,  we  rush  off  to  dress. 
Johanna  has  the  privilege  of  being  indisposed  occasionally, 
otherwise  she  gossips  with  mothers  while  I  am  dancing 
with  the  daughters  or  talking  stern  nonsense  with  the 
fathers.  Towards  twelve  o'clock,  or  later  still,  we  are 
home  again,  and  I  read  in  bed  what  is  to  be  read,  and  then 
sleep  until  Johanna  inquires  for  the  third  time  whether  I 
am  never  going  to  get  up.  Our  residence  is  more  than 
a  thousand  steps  from  the  city  gate,  and  that  gives  us 
some  illusion  of  rural  independence,  which — even  when, 
as  to-day,  the  wind  howls  round  the  corners  of  the  house, 
and  the  rain  drives  rattlingly  against  the  windows — I 
prefer  to  the  clattering  noise  and  stuffy  streets  of  the  city. 
My  repeated  trips  to  Berlin  bring  a  disturbing  change 
into  our  existence.  For  me  there  is  more  honor  than  en- 
joyment there;  now,  whenever  1  arrive  there,  all  is  sun- 
shine for  me;  the  court  spoils  me,  the  great  flatter  me, 
the  small  want  something  of  me  or  through  me,  and 
hitherto  not  much  effort  has  been  needed  to  make  me 
hold  fast  the  idea  that  perhaps  all  this  gilded  -  king's- 
guard  grandeur  may  have  vanished  day  after  to-morrow; 
and  that  at  a  court  entertainment  1  may  see  round  about 
me  quite  as  many  cool  backs  as  there  are  now  kind  faces. 
As  the  traveller  sees  in  his  mind's  eye  the  warm  and  quiet 
place  beside  the  fire,  even  so  do  1  look  forward  to  an  inde- 
pendent home-life  in  the  country,  throughout  all  political 
good  and  bad  weather,  as  to  an  agreeable  goal,  which,  so 
long  as  I  am  vigorous  and  active,  1  shall  not  draw  towards 
me  of  my  own  initiative,  but  which  1  shall,  nevertheless,  be 
glad  to  see  arrive  as  soon  as  it  is  God's  will.  The  River  of 
Time,  notwithstanding,  continues  on  the  way  that  is  de- 

270 


1852]      THE    LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

creed,  and  if  I  put  my  hand  into  it,  I  do  so  because  I  con- 
sider that  to  be  my  duty,  but  not  with  the  idea  of  changing 
its  direction  thereby.  .  .  . 

May  the  Lord's  unmerited  mercy  preserve  us  all  in  body 
and  soul.  Your  faithful  son,  V.  B. 


GUNTERSHAUSEN,  Saturday,  March  13,  '52. 
MY  DARLING, — Write  me  at  once  how  you  are;  1  fear 
that  you  caught  cold  in  the  railway  station.  1  myself  got 
a  stomach-ache  from  the  wretched  train  and  the  cold  stones, 
and  could  only  restore  myself  by  a  plentiful  consumption 
of  Reinfeld  sausage  and  malmsey,  with  which  1  began  just 
after  Bockenheim,  and  at  Vilbel  not  a  drop  remained  in 
the  bottle,  but  1  felt  entirely  well.  God  grant  that  all  is 
going  equally  well  with  you  and  the  children;  you  have 
so  infected  me  with  your  anxieties,  my  sweetheart,  that  1 
departed  full  of  anxiety.  From  Langgons,  1  found  some 
company  in  the  first  class,  a  Herr  von  Kr-r-rusen-ster-r-rn, 
apparently  Russian  mar-rine-officer-r,  son-in-law  of  the  as- 
sassinated Kotzebue  (Sand,  you  know  the  story) ;  he  had 
with  him  two  sons,  five  and  seven  years  old  respectively. 
He  seemed  a  good  fellow,  and  has  pretty  children,  but 
they  bored  me,  therefore  1  stayed  here,  because  they  wished 
to  go  on  to  Eisenach,  and  to-morrow  to  Weimar.  1  arrived 
here  towards  seven,  have  eaten  an  indifferent  beefsteak, 
and  am  writing  you  these  two  lines  before  going  to  sleep, 
close  to  an  iron  stove  which  is  just  as  hot  as  the  room  is 
cold;  however,  the  latter  doubtless  affords  a  fine  view  in 
daylight.  This  time  1  find  separation  from  you  so  par- 
ticularly hard  for  me  that  1  want  at  least  to  open  commu- 
nication by  letter  at  once,  and  transmit  to  you  a  love-token 
from  this  place.     1  hope  it  will  find  you  and  the  children 

271 


THE    LOVE    LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Mar. 

well,  for  which  I  pray  God  very  diligently.  May  He  be 
near  you  all  with  His  mercy,  and  bring  me  to  you  again 
soon  and  safely.  1  did  not  believe  that  1  should  ever  in 
my  life  experience  a  feeling  of  homesickness  for  Frankfort- 
on-the-Main,  but  1  felt  very  sorrowful  when  at  Bockenheim 
our  house,  and  later  the  last  Taunus  summit,  which  is  vis- 
ible from  our  rooms,  disappeared  from  view.  Farewell, 
my  heart.     Remembrances  to  Leontine. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


(Postmarked  BERLIN,  March  25,  '52.) 
MY  BELOVED  NAN, — 1  cannot  leave  this  evening,  be- 
cause Fra  Dia'~  betook  himself  to  Lusatia  yesterday.  I 
have  had  to  dispose  of  several  Danish  conferences  in  his 
absence,  and  their  consequences  have  to  be  regulated  with 
Fra  to-morrow.  I  have  therefore  deferred  my  journey 
until  to-morrow  evening,  and  shall,  God  willing,  embrace 
you,  my  darling,  day  after  to-morrow,  and  hope  to  find  the 
occupants  of  No.  40,  large  and  small,  in  good  health.  1 
have  just  dined  with  Malle,  am  going  with  her  and  Stolberg 
to  the  theatre,  and  1  write  you  these  few  lines  with  an  after- 
dinner  cigar  in  my  mouth.  Meanwhile,  do  not  worry  about 
newspaper  gossip,  my  sweet,  and  do  not  believe  that  1  have 
any  dangerous  relations  with  Vincke  and  Harkort;  all 
that  is  done  away  with,  1  give  you  my  word  for  it,  and  you 
know  1  would  not  lie  to  you  about  it ;  1  would  sooner  keep 
quiet  if  it  were  not  true.  God  preserve  you  and  the  chil- 
dren, my  beloved  heart.  Remembrances  to  Leontine. 
Your  most  faithful 

v.  B. 

*  Minister  von  Manteuffel. 
272 


1852J      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

Frankfort,  April  4,  '52. 
DEAR  MOTHER, — I  wished  to  write  you  to-day  at 
length,  but  I  do  not  know  how  far  I  shall  progress  in  it  after 
having  given  myself  up  for  so  long  to  enjoyment  of  Sunday 
leisure  by  taking  a  long,  loitering  walk  in  the  woods,  that 
hardly  an  hour  remains  before  the  closing  of  the  mail.  1 
found  such  pretty,  solitary  paths,  quite  narrow,  between 
the  greening  hazel  and  thorn-bushes,  where  only  the 
thrush  and  the  glede-kite  were  heard,  and  quite  far  off  the 
bell  of  the  church  to  which  I  was  playing  truant,  that  I 
could  not  find  my  way  home  again.  Johanna  is  somewhat 
exhausted,  in  connection  with  her  condition,  or  I  should 
have  had  her  in  the  woods,  too,  and  perhaps  we  should  still 
be  there.  .  .  .  She  has  presented  me  with  an  exquisite  anchor 
watch,  of  which  I  was  much  in  need,  because  I  always  wore 
her  small  one.  In  the  Vincke  matter  1  cannot,  with  you,  suf- 
ficiently praise  God's  mercy  that  no  misfortune  has  occurred 
from  any  side.  I  believe  that  for  me  it  was  inward^  very 
salutary  to  have  felt  myself  so  near  unto  death,  and  prepared 
myself  for  it ;  I  know  that  you  do  not  share  my  conception 
of  such  matters,  but  I  have  never  felt  so  firm  in  believing 
trust,  and  so  resigned  to  God's  will,  as  I  did  in  the  moment 
when  the  matter  was  in  progress.  We  can  discuss  it  orally 
some  time ;  now  I  only  want  to  tell  you  how  it  happened. 
I  had  repeatedly  been  disgusted  by  V.'s  rudeness  to  the 
government  and  ourselves,  and  was  prepared  resolutely 
to  oppose  him  at  the  next  opportunity  that  offered.  lie 
accused  me  of  want  of  diplomatic  discretion,  and  said  that 
hitherto  the  " burning  cigar"  was  my  only  known  achieve- 
ment. He  alluded  to  an  occurrence  at  the  Palace  of  the 
Diet,  of  which  I  had  previously  told  him  confidentially,  at 
his  particular  request,  as  of  something  quite  unimportant, 
but  comical.  I  then  retorted  from  the  platform  that  his  re- 
S  273 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK      [Apr. 

mark  overstepped  not  only  the  bounds  of  diplomatic  but 
also  of  ordinary  discretion,  which  one  had  a  right  to  de- 
mand from  every  man  of  education.  Next  day  he  chal- 
lenged me,  through  Herr  von  Sauken-Julienfelde,  for  four 
pistol-shots;  I  accepted  it  after  Oscar  Arnim's  proposal, 
that  we  should  fight  with  swords,  had  been  declined  by 
Sauken.  Vincke  wished  to  defer  the  matter  for  forty-eight 
hours,  which  I  granted.  On  the  25th,  at  8  A.M.,  we  rode 
to  Tegel ;  to  a  charming  spot  in  the  woods  by  the  seashore ; 
it  was  beautiful  weather,  and  the  birds  sang  so  gayly  in 
the  sunshine  that,  as  soon  as  we  entered  the  wood,  all  sad 
thoughts  left  me;  only  the  thought  of  Johanna  I  had  to 
drive  from  me  by  force,  so  as  not  to  be  affected  by  it. 
With  me  as  witnesses  were  Arnim  and  Eberhard  Stolberg, 
and  my  brother  as  very  dejected  spectator.  With  V.  was 
Sauken,  and  Major  Vincke  of  the  First  Chamber,  as 
well  as  a  Bodelschwingh  (nephew  of  the  Minister  and  of 
Vincke),  as  impartial  witness.  The  latter  declared  before 
the  matter  began  that  the  challenge  seemed  to  him  to  be, 
under  the  circumstances,  too  stringent,  and  proposed  ihat 
it  should  be  modified  to  one  shot  apiece.  Sauken,  in  V.  's 
name,  was  agreeable  to  this,  and  had  word  brought  to  me 
that  the  whole  thing  should  be  called  off  if  I  declared  I  was 
sorry  for  my  remark.  As  I  could  not  truthf ully  do  this,  we 
took  our  positions,  fired  at  Bodelschwingh's  command, 
and  both  missed.  God  forgive  the  grave  sin  that  I  did  not 
at  once  recognize  His  mercy,  but  I  cannot  deny  it :  when  I 
looked  through  the  smoke  and  saw  my  adversary  stand- 
ing erect,  a  feeling  of  disappointment  prevented  me  from 
participating  in  the  general  rejoicing,  which  caused  Bo- 
delschwingh to  shed  tears;  the  modification  of  the  chal- 
lenge annoyed  me,  and  1  would  gladly  have  continued  the 
combat.     But  as  I  was  not  the  insulted  party,  I  could  say 

274 


1852]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

nothing ;  it  was  over,  and  all  shook  hands.  We  rode  home 
and  1  ate  with  my  sister  alone.  All  the  world  was  dissat- 
isfied with  the  outcome,  but  the  Lord  must  know  what  He 
still  intends  to  make  of  V.  In  cool  blood,  I  am  certainly 
very  grateful  that  it  happened  so.  What  probably  con- 
tributed much  to  it  was  the  fact  that  a  couple  of  very  good 
pistols,  which  were  originally  intended  to  be  used,  were  so 
loaded  that  for  the  moment  they  were  quite  useless,  and 
we  had  to  take  those  intended  for  the  seconds,  with  which 
it  was  difficult  to  hit.  An  official  disturbance  has  inter- 
rupted me,  and  now  I  must  close  —  time  is  up.  Only  I 
still  want  to  say  that  I  had  consulted  beforehand,  about 
the  duel,  with  old  Stolberg,  General  Gerlach,  Minister 
Uhden  and  Hans;  they  were  all  of  opinion  that  it  must 
be;  Biichsel,  too,  saw  no  alternative,  although  he  ad- 
monished me  to  desist.  I  spent  an  hour  in  prayer,  with 
him  and  Stolberg,  the  evening  before.  I  never  doubted 
that  I  should  have  to  appear,  but  1  did  doubt  whether  1 
should  shoot  at  V.  I  did  it  without  anger,  and  missed. 
Now,  farewell,  my  dearly  beloved  mother.  Give  love  to 
father  and  every  one  from 

Your  faithful  son,  V.  B. 


Berlin,  Middle  of  May,  '52. 
MY  DARLING, — Before  going  out  I  will  at  least  tell  you 
that  I  have  arrived  safely,  for  later  on  I  shall  hardly  find 
another  quiet  moment  all  day;  I  have  already  been  dis- 
turbed during  these  few  lines  by  Eberhard,  who  fell  upon 
me  in  bed  ;  by  the  huntsman,  Engel,  whom  I  have  engaged 
(a  handsome  little  lad  of  twenty-three) ;  by  the  barber, 
who  proceeded  to  relieve  me  of  the  goatee  which  you  con- 
sider disagreeable,  so  that  1  now  look  just  like  a  young 

275 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK     [June, 

girl  with  a  little  mustache.  But  I  was  better  pleased  with 
myself  before.  Now  I  want  to  go  to  Polte  Gerlach,  to  old 
Stolberg,  then  to  divers  Russians.  It  seems  to  me  strange 
that  everything  is  as  far  advanced  here  as  in  Frankfort; 
chestnuts  and  alders  in  fullest  bloom,  and  two  walnut- 
trees  in  front  of  my  window  already  give  shade,  and  are 
certainly  more  advanced  in  foliage  than  those  near  Heidel- 
berg on  Wednesday.  But  on  the  road,  in  Hesse  and  Thu- 
ringia,  it  was  backward  compared  to  this  place  and  Frank- 
fort. Only  these  few  lines  to-day,  so  that  you  may  know 
I  am  well.  God's  protection  be  with  you  and  the  children. 
Many  regards  to  Leontine. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Berlin,  June  5,  '52. 

MY  DARLING, — I  have  arrived  here  safely,  and  hope 
that  you  and  the  little  folks  are  well.  I  am  actually  to  go 
south;  all  along  I  had  not  considered  it  certain.  ...  It 
seems  to  me  that  the  agitation  concerning  the  highest 
personages  on  the  Rhine  will  end  early  in  July,  and 
that  during  the  time  for  which  I  most  earnestly  implore 
God  to  assist  you  I  shall  be  able  to  be  with  you,  my  heart, 
continually  and  undisturbed.  Yesterday,  towards  even- 
ing, Lynar  complained  greatly  about  his  condition,  and 
he  made  as  though  he  would  give  up  the  whole  business. 
This  vacillating  alternation  of  impetuous  starts  and  dead 
stops  is  his  chief  disease,  and  I  have  resolutely  opposed  it. 
He  needs  a  change  of  air.  Old  Nostitz  is  just  coming  to 
see  me. 

The  6th, 

My  letter  of  yesterday  from  Sans  Souci  did  not  get 
away,  either,  because,  owing  to  the  fabulous  rain,  the 

276 


1852]      THE  LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

train  from  Magdeburg  was  three  -  quarters  of  an  hour 
late.  From  the  depot  I  drove  at  once  to  the  Hotel  des 
Princes,  where  I  was  delighted  to  find  mother  and  all, 
even  the  barrel  of  the  old  double  gun.  M.  was  a  trifle 
hoarse,  otherwise  well  and  in  good  spirits.  Cecilia  is  again 
running  like  a  lapwing.  I  remained  until  they  could  not 
help  yawning.  I  am  going  there  again  to-day;  unfortu- 
nately, I  must  leave  again  for  Potsdam  in  the  afternoon. 
Your  letter  of  Thursday  I  read  in  bed  yesterday,  with  pleas- 
ure and  sadness.  You  have  done  quite  well  with  Deter. 
Do  not  worry  too  much;  and  pray  God  with  me  that  we 
shall  soon  meet  again  in  good  health.  Do  not  be  anxious 
if  my  next  letter  is  long  in  coming.  I  shall  not  be  able  to 
write  before  Wednesday  from  Vienna,  and  it  will  not  reach 
F.  before  Friday  night,  nor  be  with  you  before  Saturday 
morning.  The  Lord  keep  you,  my  love.  Greetings  to 
Leontine  and  the  children. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Vienna,  June  g,  '52. 
MY  DARLING, — I  arrived  here  safely  with  Lynar  last 
night,  and,  after  attending  to  the  urgent  despatches,  we 
went  to  bed  with  a  good  supper  and  a  bottle  of  cold  cham- 
pagne. The  journey  was  warm,  otherwise  charming. 
Still  the  old  abominable  coaches,  in  which  we  spent  a  night 
with  the  Sevitts,  the  first  class  hardly  better  than  our  third. 
The  region  was  pretty,  by  starlight  and  sunrise,  between 
Dresden  and  Prague;  at  noon  in  the  Moravian  Mountains, 
which  we  missed  this  time  by  oversleeping,  and  here  in 
Vienna  at  sunset.  I  lived  entirely  in  '47  while  passing 
the  Prater,  along  the  Jagerzeil  and  past  the  Lamb,  and 
into  the  city  and  along  a  colonnade,  where  I  remembered 

277 


THE    LOVE    LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK     [June, 

that  while  walking  there  we  pouted  a  bit  for  the  first  time 
— I  forget  why,  but  probably  through  my  fault.  For  how 
much  have  we  to  thank  the  Lord  since  then  ?  At  that  time 
you  did  not  believe  that  we  should  have  children.  .  .  .  God's 
gracious  protection  be  with  you  all.  Lynar  is  breakfasting, 
and  sends  remembrances. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Vienna,  June  n,  '52. 
MY  DARLING,— "  Don't  like  it  't  all  'ere,"  as  Schrenk 
says,  although  it  was  so  agreeable  in  '47  with  you;  but 
not  only  do  I  miss  you,  but  I  find  myself  superfluous  here, 
and  that  is  worse  than  I  can  make  your  unpolitical  tem- 
perament appreciate.  If  I  were  now  here  for  pleasure 
alone,  as  of  yore,  I  could  not  complain;  all  with  whom  I 
have  hitherto  become  acquainted  are  remarkably  amiable, 
and  though  the  city  is  hot  and  its  streets  narrow,  yet  it  is 
a  magnificent  city,  nevertheless.  Business,  on  the  other 
hand,  is  exceedingly  dull;  either  these  people  are  under 
no  pressure  of  need  to  deal  with  us,  or  they  ascribe  to  us 
a  greater  need  than  we  have.  I  fear  the  opportunity  for 
reaching  an  understanding  will  pass  by  unimproved; 
that  will  be  a  bad  setback  for  us,  for  my  embassy  is  looked 
upon  as  a  very  conciliatory  step,  and  they  will  not  soon 
send  another  who  is  so  willing  to  come  to  an  understanding 
and  at  the  same  time  has  such  a  free  hand  as  I.  Forgive 
me  for  writing  you  politics,  but  that  which  fills  the  heart, 
etc.  I  am  mentally  drying  up  altogether  in  this  commo- 
tion, and  fear  I  shall  again  acquire  a  taste  for  it.  I  am  just 
returning  from  the  opera,  with  old  Westmoreland;  "Don 
Giovanni,"  by  a  good  Italian  company,  which  made  me 
doubly  conscious  how  miserable  the  Frankfort  Theatre  is. 

278 


1852]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF    BISMARCK 

Yesterday  I  was  at  Schonbrunn,  and  thought  of  our  ad- 
venturous moonlight  expedition  at  the  sight  of  the  sky- 
high  hedges  and  the  white  statues  in  the  green  niches; 
also  looked  at  the  cosy  little  garden  into  which  we  strayed 
at  first;  it  is  strictly  forbidden  ground,  so  that  the  hunter's 
watchman,  who  stood  there  then,  too,  prohibits  even  glanc- 
ing into  it. 

Vienna,  June  14,  '52. 
My  beloved  Heart,— At  this  hour  I  ought  to  sit 
down  and  write  a  long  report  to  his  Majesty  concerning 
a  lengthy  and  fruitless  negotiation  which  I  had  to-day 
with  Count  Buol,  and  concerning  an  audience  with  the 
Archduchess  Empress-Dowager.  But  I  have  just  taken 
a  promenade  on  the  high  ramparts  all  round  the  inner  city, 
and  from  them  seen  a  charming  sunset  behind  the  Leo- 
poldsberg,  and  now  I  am  much  more  inclined  to  think  of 
you  than  of  business.  I  stood  for  a  long  time  on  the  red 
Thor  Tower,  which  commands  a  view  of  the  Jagerzeil  and 
of  our  old-time  domicile,  the  Lamb,  with  the  caf6  before 
it;  at  the  Archduchess's  I  was  in  a  room  which  opens  on 
the  homelike  little  garden  into  which  we  once  secretly  and 
thoughtlessly  found  our  way ;  yesterday  I  heard  "  Lucia  " — 
Italian,  very  good;  all  this  so  stirs  my  longing  for  you 
that  I  am  quite  sad  and  incapable.  For  it  is  terrible  to  be 
thus  alone  in  the  world,  when  one  is  no  longer  accustomed 
to  it;  I  am  in  quite  a  Lynaric  mood.  Nothing  but  calls, 
and  coming  to  know  strangers,  with  whom  I  am  always 
having  the  same  talk.  Every  one  knows  that  I  have  not 
yet  been  here  very  long,  but  whether  I  was  ever  here  before, 
that  is  the  great  question  which  I  have  answered  two  hun- 
dred times  in  these  days,  and  happy  that  that  topic  still 
remains.     For  folk  bent  on  pleasure  this  may  be  a  very 

279 


THE    LOVE   LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK      [June, 

pretty  place,  for  it  offers  whatever  is  capable  of  affording 
outward  diversion  to  people.  But  I  am  longing  for  Frank- 
fort as  if  it  were  Kniephof,  and  do  not  wish  to  come  here 
by  any  means.  F.  must  lie  just  where  the  sun  went 
down,  over  the  Mannhartsberg  yonder ;  and  while  it  was 
-sinking  here,  it  still  continued  shining  with  you  for  over 
half  an  hour.  It  is  terribly  far.  How  different  it  was  with 
you  here,  my  heart,  and  with  Salzburg  and  Meran  in  pros- 
pect ;  I  have  grown  terribly  old  since  then.  .  .  .  It  is  very 
cruel  that  we  must  spend  such  a  long  period  of  our  brief 
life  apart;  that  time  is  lost,  then,  and  cannot  be  brought 
back.  God  alone  knows  why  He  allows  others  to  remain 
together  who  are  quite  at  their  ease  when  apart;  like  an 
aged  friend  of  mine,  who  travelled  with  me  as  far  as  Dres- 
den, had  to  sit  in  the  same  compartment  with  his  wife  all 
the  time,  and  could  not  smoke;  and  we  must  always  cor- 
respond at  a  great  distance.  We  shall  make  up  for  it  all, 
and  love  each  other  a  great  deal  more  when  we  are  again 
together ;  if  only  we  keep  well !  Then  I  shall  not  murmur. 
To-day  I  had  the  great  pleasure  of  receiving,  via  Berlin, 
your  letter  of  last  Thursday ;  that  is  the  second  one  since  I 
left  Frankfort ;  surely  none  is  lost?  I  was  very  happy  and 
thankful  that  all  of  you  are  well.  ...  As  soon  as  I  find 
myself  once  more  on  the  old,  tiresome  Thuringian  railroad 
I  shall  be  out  of  myself,  and  still  more  so  when  I  catch  a 
glimpse  of  our  light  from  Bockenheim ;  I  must  travel  about 
nine  hundred  miles  thither,  not  including  two  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  from  Pesth  back  to  this  place.  How  gladty  I 
shall  undertake  them,  once  I  am  seated  in  the  train!  I 
shall  probably  abandon  my  trip  by  way  of  Munich ;  from 
this  place  to  M.  is  a  post-trip  of  fifty  hours ;  by  water 
still  longer;  and  I  shall  have  to  render  a  verbal  report  in 
Berlin,  anyway.     About  politics  I  can,  fortunately,  write 

280 


1852]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF    BISMARCK 

nothing ;  for  even  if  the  English  courier  who  takes  this  to 
Berlin  is  a  safeguard  against  our  post-office,  the  Taxis 
scoundrels  will,  nevertheless,  get  hold  of  it. 

Be  sure  to  write  me  detailed  information  as  to  your  per- 
sonal condition.  Greet  mother,  our  relations,  if  they  are 
still  there,  Leontine,  the  children,  Stolberg,  WentzeL  and 
all  the  rest.     Farewell,  my  angel.     God  preserve  you. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


(No  date.  VIENNA,  about  June  19,  1852.) 
My  HEART, — I  am  delighted  that  our  dear  ones  reached 
you  safely,  and  I  became  quite  melancholy  over  the  fact 
that  I  shall  have  to  stay  here  at  a  distance,  and  all  alone, 
too.  Werthern,  the  Secretary  of  Legation,  is  home  on 
leave.  Lynar  and  I  took  a  climb  up  the  mountains  on  the 
Leopoldsberg,  behind  Nussdorf,  where  we  embarked  once 
upon  a  time ;  and  in  the  golden  evening  fragrance  we  took 
a  look  at  our  old-time  path,  up  the  Danube,  to  Kloster-Neu- 
burg ;  a  steamer  was  just  coming  from  Linz — the  Austria ; 
if  I  am  not  mistaken,  we  travelled  on  her.  .  .  .  Why  do  you 
look  with  dread  and  pain  for  the  appearance  of  the  new 
baby?  I  am  firmly  convinced  that  the  Lord  will  grant  our 
prayers,  and  will  not  separate  us;  and  I  also  hope  to  con- 
vince you  of  that,  as  soon  as  I  am  with  you  again,  my  dar- 
ling. The  happy  married  life  and  the  children  God  has 
given  me  are  to  me  as  the  rainbow  that  gives  me  the  pledge 
of  reconciliation  after  the  deluge  of  degeneracy  and  want 
of  love  which  in  previous  years  covered  my  soul.  Even 
when  I  am  solitary,  as  here,  the  old  sad  and  desolate  spirit 
of  the  past  approaches  me,  and  T  feel  how  little  fitted  I  am 
to  endure  an  outwardly  forsaken  life.  The  grace  of  God 
will  not  let  go  of  my  soul  which  He  has  once  touched,  and 

281      • 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK     [June, 

will  not  cut  the  thread  by  which  primarily  He  has  held 
and  guided  me  on  the  slippery  floor  of  that  world  in  which 
I  am  placed  without  having  desired  it.  Trust  gladly,  my 
darling,  and  pray  in  true  faith ;  I  have  the  certainty  that  1 
cannot  do  without  you,  not  for  a  long  while  yet,  and  con- 
sequently the  assurance  that  God  will  preserve  you  to  me. 
Do  not  simply  remain  quiet  and  wait,  but  implore  in  ear- 
nest prayer,  and  confide  in  Christ's  promise  to  give  ear. 

Still  1  have  not  had  an  opportunity  to  go  to  Laxenburg, 
and  to-day  it  is  raining  continually,  so  that  I  am  staying 
quietly  in  my  room,  and  shall  later  on  write  very  long  re- 
ports. .  .  . 

Do  not  believe  the  newspaper  nonsense  that  I  shall  not 
come  before  the  end  of  July,  or  shall  be  transferred  to  this 
place  permanently.  I  certainly  hope,  God  willing,  to  be 
with  you  the  first  three  days  of  July,  perhaps  sooner,  and  1 
am  resisting  any  transfer  to  Vienna.  It  is  much  nicer  at 
home,  and,  with  the  salary  the  same  as  at  F.,  it  is  quite 
impossible  to  live  here  as  a  married  ambassador.  Em- 
brace my  beloved  little  mother  for  me,  and.  all  aunts,  cous- 
ins, and  children.  The  Reddentins  have  given  me  reason 
to  hope  that  after  my  return  they  will  again  pay  us  a  visit 
from  Rehme.  Do  insist  on  it.  May  the  Lord  take  you 
and  the  whole  household  into  His  gracious  keeping.  Fare- 
well. Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Vienna,  June  21 ,  1852. 
Many  thanks,  my  dear,  for  your  sweet  little  letter  of 
Thursday,  just  received ;  only  a  word  of  heartfelt  love  and 
longing  for  you;  I  am  quite  tender  every  time  I  think  of 
you.  Frau  Meiendorf  is  enraged  at  my  sentimental  long- 
ing, which  drives  me  away  from  business  in  order  to  play 

282 


1852]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

soeur  grise  at  F.,  as  she  says.  The  courier  urges  haste. 
Farewell,  you  dearest  heart.  My  fingers  are  lame  from 
writing.     Love  to  M. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

V.,  2lst. — Six  P.M. ,  without  dinner.    To-morrow  to  Of  en. 


OFEN,  June  23,  '52. 

My  DARLING, — 1  have  just  left  the  steamer,  and  do  not 
know  how  better  to  utilize  the  moment  at  my  disposal  until 
Hildebrand  follows  with  my  things  than  by  sending  you 
a  love-token  from  this  far-easterly  but  pretty  spot.  The 
Emperor  has  graciously  assigned  me  quarters  in  his  palace, 
and  I  am  sitting  here  in  a  large  vaulted  chamber  at  the 
open  window,  into  which  the  evening  bells  of  Pesth  are 
pealing.  The  view  outward  is  charming.  The  castle 
stands  high;  immediately  below  me  the  Danube,  spanned 
by  the  suspension-bridge;  behind  it  Pesth,  which  would 
remind  you  of  Dantzig,  and  farther  away  the  endless  plain 
extending  far  beyond  Pesth,  disappearing  in  the  bluish- 
red  dusk  of  evening.  To  the  left  of  Pesth  I  look  up  the 
Danube,  far,  very  far,  away;  to  my  left,  i.e.,  on  the  right- 
hand  shore,  it  is  fringed  first  by  the  city  of  Ofen,  behind  it 
hills  like  the  Berici  near  Venetia,  blue  and  bluer,  then 
bluish-red  in  the  evening  sky,  which  glows  behind.  In 
the  midst  of  both  cities  is  the  large  sheet  of  water  as  at 
Linz,  intersected  by  the  suspension-bridge  and  a  wooded 
island.  It  is  really  splendid;  only  you,  my  angel,  are 
lacking  for  me  to  enjoy  this  prospect  with  you;  then  it 
would  be  quite  nice.  Then,  too,  the  road  hither,  at  least 
from  Gran  to  Pesth,  would  have  pleased  you.  Imagine 
Odenwald  and  Taunus  moved  close  together,  the  waters  of 
the  Danube  filling   the  interval;  and  occasionally,   par- 

283 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK     [June, 

ticularly  near  Wisserad,  a  little  Diirrenstein-Agstein.  The 
shady  side  of  the  trip  was  the  sunny  side;  it  burned  as 
if  they  wanted  tokay  to  grow  on  the  steamer,  and  the 
crowd  of  travellers  was  large;  but,  just  imagine,  not  one 
Englishman ;  it  must  be  that  they  have  not  yet  discovered 
Hungary.  For  the  rest,  there  were  queer  fellows  enough, 
dirty  and  washed,  of  all  Oriental  and  Occidental  nations. 
.  .  .  By  this  time  I  am  becoming  impatient  as  to  Hilde- 
brand's  whereabouts;  I  am  lying  in  the  window,  half 
musing  in  the  moonlight,  half  waiting  for  him  as  for  a 
mistress,  for  I  long  for  a  clean  shirt.  ...  If  you  were  here 
for  only  a  moment,  and  could  contemplate  now  the  dull, 
silvery  Danube,  the  dark  hills  on  a  pale-red  background, 
and  the  lights  which  are  shining  up  from  Pesth  below, 
Vienna  would  lose  much  in  your  estimation  compared  to 
Buda-Pescht,  as  the  Hungarian  calls  it  You  see  I  am 
not  only  a  lover,  but  also  an  enthusiast,  for  nature.  Now 
I  shall  soothe  my  excited  blood  with  a  cup  of  tea,  after 
Hildebrand  has  actually  put  in  an  appearance,  and  shall 
then  go  to  bed  and  dream  of  you,  my  love.  Last  night  I 
had  only  four  hours  of  sleep,  and  the  court  here  is  terribly 
matutinal ;  the  young  gentleman  himself  rises  as  early  as 
five  o'clock,  so  that  I  should  be  a  bad  courtier  if  I  were  to 
sleep  much  longer.  Therefore  I  bid  3-ou  good-night  from 
afar,  with  a  side-glance  at  a  gigantic  teapot  and  an  entic- 
ing plate  of  cold  jellied  cuts,  tongue,  as  I  see,  among  the 
rest.  Where  did  I  get  that  song  that  occurs  to  me  con- 
tinually to-day — "Over  the  blue  mountain,  over  the  white 
sea-foam,  come,  thou  beloved  one,  come  to  thy  lonely  home"? 
I  don't  know  who  must  have  sung  that  to  me,  some  time 
in  auld  lang  syne  May  God's  angels  keep  you  to-day, 
as  hitherto. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

284 


1852]       THE  LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

The  2\th. 
After  having  slept  very  well,  although  on  a  wedge- 
shaped  pillow,  I  bid  you  good-morning,  my  heart.  The 
whole  panorama  before  me  is  bathed  in  such  a  bright, 
burning  sun  that  I  cannot  look  out  at  all  without  being 
blinded.  Until  I  begin  my  calls  I  am  sitting  here  break- 
fasting and  smoking  all  alone  in  a  very  spacious  apart- 
ment— four  rooms,  all  thickly  vaulted,  two  something  like 
our  dining-room  in  size,  thick  walls  as  at  Schonhausen, 
gigantic  nut-wood  closets,  blue  silk  furnishings,  a  pro- 
fusion of  large  spots  on  the  floor,  an  ell  in  size,  which  a 
more  excited  fancy  than  mine  might  take  for  blood,  but 
which  I  decidedly  declare  to  be  ink;  an  unconscionably 
awkward  scribe  must  have  lodged  here,  or  another  Luther 
repeatedly  hurled  big  inkstands  at  his  opponents.  .  .  .  Ex- 
ceedingly strange  figures,  brown,  with  broad  hats  and 
wide  trousers,  are  floating  about  on  long  wooden  rafts  in 
the  Danube  below.  I  regret  I  am  not  an  artist;  I  should 
like  to  let  you  see  these  wild  faces,  mustached,  long-haired, 
with  excited  black  eyes,  and  the  ragged,  picturesque  drapery 
which  hangs  about  them,  as  they  appeared  to  me  all  day 
yesterday.  .  .  .  Farewell,  my  heart.  God  bless  j^ou  and  our 
present  and  future  children. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

Evening. 
I  have  not  yet  found  an  opportunity  to  send  this. 
Again  the  lights  are  shining  up  from  Pesth,  lightning 
appears  on  the  horizon  in  the  direction  of  the  Theiss, 
and  there  is  starlight  above  us.  I  have  been  in  uniform 
most  of  the  day,  handed  my  credentials  to  the  young  ruler 
of  this  country  at  a  solemn  audience,  and  received  a  very 
pleasing    impression  of    him  —  twenty-year-old   vivacity, 

285 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK     [June, 

coupled  with  studied  composure.  He  can  be  very  win- 
ning, I  have  seen  that;  whether  he  always  will,  I  do 
not  know,  and  he  need  not,  for  that  matter.  At  any  rate, 
he  is  for  this  country  exactly  what  it  needs,  and  more  than 
that  for  the  peace  of  its  neighbors,  if  God  does  not  give  him 
a  peace-loving  heart.  After  dinner  all  the  court  went  on 
an  excursion  into  the  mountains,  to  a  romantic  spot  called 
the  Pretty  Shepherdess,  who  has  long  been  dead,  King 
Matthias  Corvinus  having  loved  her  many  hundred  years 
ago.  Thence  the  view  is  over  woody  hills,  like  those  on 
the  Neckar  banks  to  Of  en,  its  castle,  and  the  plain.  A 
popular  festival  had  brought  thousands  up  to  it,  and  the 
Emperor,  who  mingled  with  them,  was  surrounded  with 
noisy  cheers;  Czardas  danced,  waltzed,  sang,  played, 
climbed  into  the  trees,  and  crowded  the  court-yard.  On  a 
grassy  slope  was  a  supper-table  of  about  twenty  persons, 
sitting  along  one  side  only,  leaving  the  other  free  for  a 
view  of  wood,  hill,  city,  and  country,  high  beeches  over  us, 
with  Hungarians  climbing  among  the  branches;  behind 
us  a  densely  crowded  and  crowding  mass  of  people  near 
by,  and,  beyond,  alternate  horn-music  and  singing,  wild 
gypsy  melodies.  Illumination,  moonlight,  and  evening 
glow,  interspersed  with  torches  through  the  wood;  the 
whole  might  have  been  served,  unaltered,  as  a  great  scenic 
effect  in  a  romantic  opera.  Beside  me  sat  the  white-beard- 
ed Archbishop  of  Gran,  primate  of  Hungary,  in  a  black 
silk  talar,  with  a  red  cape;  on  the  other  side  a  very  amia- 
ble and  elegant  general  of  cavalry,  Prince  Liechtenstein. 
You  see,  the  painting  was  rich  in  contrasts.  Then  we  rode 
home  by  moonlight,  escorted  by  torches;  and  while  I 
smoke  my  evening  cigar  I  am  writing  to  my  darling,  and 
leaving  the  documents  until  to-morrow.  ...  I  have  listened 
to-day  to  the  story  of  how  this  castle  was  stormed  by  the 

286 


1852]      THE  LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

insurgents  three  years  ago,  when  the  brave  General  Hentzi 
and  the  entire  garrison  were  cut  down  after  a  wonderfully 
heroic  defence.  The  black  spots  on  my  floor  are  in  part 
burns,  and  where  I  am  now  writing  to  you  the  shells  then 
danced  about,  and  the  combat  finally  raged  on  top  of  smok- 
ing debris.  It  was  only  put  in  order  again  a  few  weeks  ago, 
against  the  Emperor's  arrival.  Now  it  is  very  quiet  and 
cosey  up  here ;  I  hear  only  the  ticking  of  a  clock  and  dis- 
tant rolling  of  wheels  from  below.  For  the  second  time 
from  this  place  I  bid  you  good-night  in  the  distance.  May 
angels  watch  over  you — a  grenadier  with  a  bear-skin  cap 
does  that  for  me  here ;  I  see  his  bayonet  two  arm-lengths 
away  from  me,  projecting  six  inches  above  the  window- 
sill,  and  reflecting  my  light.  He  is  standing  on  the  ter- 
race over  the  Danube,  and  is,  perhaps,  thinking  of  his  Nan, 
too. 

SZOLNOK,  June  27,  '52. 
.  .  .  Yesterday  I  went  by  rail  from  Pesth  to  Alberti-Irsa, 
where  a  young  Prince  Windischgratz  is  garrisoned,  who  is 
married  to  a  Princess  of  Mecklenburg,  niece  of  our  King.  I 
waited  on  this  lady  that  I  might  inform  the  Grand  Duchess, 
her  mother,  as  to  her  health.  The  place  is  situated  at  the 
edge  of  the  Hungarian  steppes  between  the  Danube  and 
Theiss,  which  I  wanted  to  look  at  for  the  fun  of  it.  They 
did  not  allow  me  to  travel  without  escort,  as  the  region  is 
infested  by  bands  of  mounted  robbers,  called  Petyars. 
After  a  comfortable  breakfast  in  the  shade  of  a  beautiful 
linden-tree,  I  mounted  a  very  low  peasant- wagon,  with 
straw  sacks  and  three  steppe  horses  before  it ;  the  lancers 
loaded  their  carbines,  sat  erect,  and  away  we  went  at  a  tear- 
ing gallop,  Hildebrand  and  a  hired  Hungarian  footman 
on  the  forward  sack,  and  as  driver  a  dark-brown  peasant 

287 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS  OF   BISMARCK      [Jun£, 

with  a  mustache,  broad-brimmed  hat,  long  black  hair, 
shiny  with  grease,  a  shirt  ending  above  the  stomach  and 
leaving  visible  a  dark-brown  band  of  his  own  skin  about 
as  broad  as  a  man's  hand ;  thence  white  trousers,  each  leg 
of  which  is  wide  enough  for  a  woman's  skirt,  and  which 
reach  to  the  knees,  where  the  spurred  boots  begin.  Imagine 
firm  turf,  level  as  a  table,  on  which,  as  far  as  the  horizon, 
for  miles  around,  one  sees  nothing  but  the  tall,  bare  trees 
and  the  bucket-well  which  has  been  dug  for  the  half-wild 
horses  and  oxen.  Thousands  of  white-and-brown  oxen, 
with  horns  as  long  as  a  man's  arm,  timid  as  deer;  shaggy, 
mean-looking  horses,  kept  by  mounted,  half-naked  shep- 
herds with  lancelike  staffs ;  endless  herds  of  swine,  among 
them  invariably  a  donkey,  which  bears  the  shepherd's 
fur  (bunda),  and  occasionally  himself;  then  great  swarms 
of  bustards,  rabbits,  marmot-like  susliks ;  occasionally,  at 
a  brackish  pond,  wild  geese,  ducks,  lapwings  were  the 
objects  which  flew  past  us,  and  we  past  them,  during  the 
three  hours  in  which  we  covered  the  thirty-five  miles  to 
Ketskemet,  with  some  pause  at  a  czarda  (lonely  hostelry). 
Ketskemet  is  a  village  whose  streets,  when  one  does  not  see 
an  inhabitant,  recall  the  little  end  of  Schonhausen,  only  it 
has  forty-five  thousand  inhabitants,  all  peasants,  unpaved 
streets,  low  houses  closed  against  the  sun  in  Oriental 
fashion,  with  large  cattle-yards.  A  foreign  ambassador 
was  such  an  unaccustomed  sight  there,  and  my  Hungarian 
servant  made  such  a  show  of  calling  me  Excellency,  that 
they  gave  me  at  once  a  guard  of  honor;  the  authorities 
called  on  me,  and  a  carriage  was  requisitioned  for  me.  I 
spent  the  evening  with  a  charming  corps  of  officers,  who 
insisted  that  I  must  take  an  escort  in  future,  too,  and  told 
me  many  robber  stories.  The  worst  strongholds  of  the 
robbers  are  said  to  be  just  in  the  region  towards  which  I  was 

288 


x852]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK 

going,  along  the  Theiss,  where  the  marshes  and  wilds 
render  their  extermination  wellnigh  impossible.  They  are 
excellently  mounted  and  armed,  these  Petyars;  in  bands 
of  fifteen  or  twenty  they  assault  travellers  and  invade 
cattle-yards,  and  next  day  they  are  one  hundred  miles 
away.  They  are  polite  to  respectable  people.  I  had  left 
most  of  my  ready  money  with  Prince  Windischgratz,  and 
had  only  a  little  linen  with  me,  and  really  had  some  in- 
clination to  become  more  intimately  acquainted  with  these 
mounted  bandits,  with  great  furs,  double-barrelled  guns  in 
their  hands  and  pistols  in  their  belts,  whose  leaders  are 
said  to  wear  black  masks  and  to  belong  to  the  landed  gentry 
settled  hereabouts.  A  few  days  previously  several  gen- 
darmes had  fallen  in  a  fight  with  them,  but,  on  the  other 
hand,  two  robbers  had  been  caught,  court-martialled,  and 
shot  at  Ketskemet.  One  never  sees  such  things  in  our 
own  dull  part  of  the  world.  About  the  time  when  you 
awoke  this  morning,  you  hardly  thought  that  at  that  mo- 
ment I  was  flying  in  headlong  gallop  over  the  pusta  (steppe) 
with  Hildebrand,  in  Cumania,  in  the  vicinity  of  Felegy- 
haza  and  Csongrad,  a  kindly,  sunburned  officer  of  lancers 
beside  me,  each  one  with  loaded  pistols  lying  in  the  hay  in 
front  of  him,  and  a  detachment  of  lancers,  carbines  ready  in 
hand,  galloping  behind.  Three  fast  little  horses  pulled  us, 
regularly  called  Rosa  (pronounce  Ruscha),  Esillak  (Star), 
and  Petyar  (Vagabond),  the  latter  running  alongside;  the 
driver  continually  addresses  them  by  name  and  in  a  voice 
of  entreaty,  until  he  holds  the  whip-handle  diagonally  over 
his  head,  and  calls  out  mega!  mega!  (more!  more!)  when  the 
gallop  changes  to  a  mad  pace — a  quite  exhilarating  sen- 
sation. The  robbers  did  not  show  themselves;  probably 
they  already  knew  before  dawn,  as  my  charming  brown 
lieutenant  said,  that  1  was  travelling  under  escort,  but  cer- 
T  289 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK     [June, 

tainly  some  of  them  were  among  the  worthy-looking, 
stately  peasants  who  at  the  stations,  in  their  embroidered, 
sleeveless  sheepskin  coats  reaching  to  the  ground,  ear- 
nestly scrutinized  us,  greeting  us  with  a  respectful  istem 
adiamek  (God  be  praised).  There  was  a  glowing  summer 
heat  all  day ;  my  face  is  as  red  as  a  lobster.  I  have  done 
eighty-five  miles  in  twelve  hours,  including  from  two  to 
three  hours  spent  in  changing  horses  and  waiting,  as  the 
twelve  horses  required  for  ourselves  and  the  escort  had  first 
to  be  caught.  Moreover,  about  one-third  of  the  distance 
consisted  of  deepest  quicksands  and  dunes,  like  those  at 
Stolpmiinde.  At  five  I  arrived  here,  where  a  motley  crowd 
of  Hungarians,  Slavs,  and  Wallachians  enliven  the  streets 
(Sz.  is  a  village  of  about  six  thousand  inhabitants,  but 
has  a  railroad  and  steamboat  landing  on  the  Theiss),  and 
the  wildest  and  craziest  gypsy  melodies  penetrate  to  my 
room.  Then,  too,  nasally  and  with  wide-open  mouth,  in  a 
sickly,  complaining  minor  discord,  they  sing  stories  of 
black  eyes,  and  of  a  robber's  heroic  death,  in  tones  remind- 
ing one  of  the  wind  when  it  howls  Lettic  songs  in  the 
chimney.  The  women,  as  a  whole,  are  well-formed,  but, 
save  a  few  exceptionally  handsome  ones,  are  not  pretty; 
they  all  have  jet-black  hair,  braided  behind,  with  red  rib- 
bons in  it.  The  married  women  have  on  their  heads  either 
gaudy  green  -  and  -  red  cloths  or  little  red  -  and  -  gold  plush 
hoods,  a  very  handsome  yellow  silk  cloth  over  shoulder  and 
breast,  short  black  or  dark-blue  skirts,  and  red  morocco 
boots  which  extend  up  under  the  dress,  lively  coloring, 
generally  a  j^ellowish  brown  in  the  face,  and  large,  burning 
black  eyes.  On  the  whole,  such  a  troop  of  women  affords 
a  play  of  colors  that  would  please  you,  every  color  in  the 
costume  being  as  striking  as  possible.  After  arriving  at 
five,  and  while  waiting  for  dinner,  I  had  a  swim  in  the 

290 


I&52J      THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

Theiss,  saw  them  dance  the  csardas,  regretted  that  1  could 
not  draw  so  as  to  transfer  these  wonderful  figures  to  paper 
for  you;  then  ate  some  capsicum  cockerel, stiirl  (fish),  and 
tick;  drank  a  good  deal  of  Hungarian  wine,  wrote  to  Nan, 
and  now  want  to  go  to  bed,  if  the  gypsy  music  will  permit 
me  to  sleep.     Good-night,  my  angel.     I  stem  adiamek. 

Pesth,  28th. 
.  .  .  My  escort  of  lancers  was  not  so  bad,  after 
all.  At  the  same  time  that  I  went  southward  from  Kets- 
kemet,  sixty -three  wagons  were  going  to  Koros,  in  a 
northerly  direction,  to  market.  Three  hours  later  these 
were  stopped  and  plundered.  Because  a  colonel  who 
happened  to  be  riding  in  front  of  this  wagon  would  not  halt, 
they  sent  several  shots  after  him,  and  shot  a  horse  through 
the  neck,  but  not  so  as  to  make  it  fall ;  and  as  he,  while  gal- 
loping away  with  two  servants,  returned  the  fire,  they  pre- 
fered  to  confine  their  attention  to  the  remaining  travellers, 
who  were  unarmed.  Otherwise  they  have  hurt  no  one,  only 
plundered  thirty  odd  persons,  or,  rather,  laid  them  under 
contribution;  for  they  don't  take  all  that  one  has,  but  de- 
mand a  sum  from  each  one  according  to  his  fortune  or  their 
own  necessity;  for  instance,  they  will  quietly  watch  you 
count  forty  florins,  which  they  have  demanded,  out  of  a 
purse  containing  one  thousand  florins,  without  touching 
the  remainder.     Bandits,  then,  who  can  be  reasoned  with. 

Vienna,  30th. 
Here  I  am  again,  sitting  in  the  "Roman  Emperor." 
Found  your  very  kind  letter  from  Coblentz,  and  thanked 
God  that  all  was  well  with  you.  ...  I  intend  to 
leave  here  in  the  course  of  next  week,  and  to  hurry 
over  to  you,  my  angel,  by  way  of  Berlin.     I  have,  in- 

291 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Aug. 

deed,  no  leave  of  absence,  nor  shall  I  ask  for  any,  but 
shall  arrange  the  matter  verbally  at  Berlin.  There  they 
will  realize  that  I  must  now  be  with  you.  Give  mother  my 
love;  greet  Leontine  and  the  children. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

OSTEND,  August  19,  '53. 

MY  DEAREST, — I  hope  that  by  this  time  you,  with  your 
three  little  cuckoos,  are  cuckooing  happily  in  your  nest, 
and  are  settled  there,  warm  and  comfortable.  ...  I  sup- 
pose you  must  have  arrived  two  evenings  ago,  or  t-ise  yes- 
terday morning,  at  Interlaken.  .  .  .  Thus  far  I  have  taken 
three  baths,  besides  the  one  to-day,  and  liked  them  very 
much;  strong  surf  and  soft  bottom.  Most  people  bathe 
just  below  the  breakwater  that  forms  the  walk,  ladies  and 
gentlemen  together;  the  ladies  in  very  unbecoming  long 
skirts  of  dark  wool,  the  men  in  jerseys,  jacket  and  trousers 
in  one  piece,  so  that  the  arms  and  legs  are  almost  entirely 
uncovered.  Only  the  consciousness  of  a  flawless  figure 
can  make  a  man  bold  enough  to  show  himself  off  thus 
to  the  whole  world  of  ladies ;  and  although  I  possess  this 
consciousness  to  a  high  degree,  still  I  generally  prefer  the 
more  out-of-the-way  paradis  or  bain  des  sauvages,  where 
there  are  only  gentlemen,  but  in  the  costume  correspond- 
ing to  the  first  description.  I  don't  like  to  have  the  wet 
thing  next  to  my  skin.  .  .  . 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

Brussels,  August  21,  '53. 

MY  DEAREST, — I  was  delighted  and  thankful  to  get 

your  letter  from  Bellerive  yesterday  afternoon.     By  this 

time  1  hope  you  are  comfortably  settled  at  Interlaken,  and 

have  found  a  letter  from  me  there,  as  well  as  received  an- 

292 


1853]      THE    LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

other  —  probably  to-day.  I  left  Ostend  with  regret,  and 
to-day  am  full  of  longing  for  it.  I  found  an  old  love  of 
mine  there  again,  and  she  is  unchanged  and  as  charming 
as  she  was  when  I  first  knew  her.  I  am  feeling  the  separa- 
tion deeply  just  now,  and  am  looking  forward  with  impa- 
tience to  the  moment  when  I  shall  see  her  again  at  Norder- 
ney,  and  shall  throw  myself  on  her  billowy  breast.  I  can 
hardly  understand  why  we  may  not  always  live  at  the 
seashore,  or  why  I  allowed  myself  to  be  persuaded  to  spend 
two  days  in  this  heap  of  stones  with  its  tiresome  regularity, 
where  I  must  see  ball-fights,  Waterloo,  and  pompous  pro- 
cessions. .  .  .  Lots  of  love  to  all,  and  twice  as  much  to  you. 
Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Amsterdam,  August  24,  '53. 
MY  DEAREST, — In  Brussels  and  Antwerp  I  have  not 
been  able  to  get  a  moment  of  quiet,  there  was  so  much 
going  on,  and  so  much  to  see,  so  I  am  making  use  here  of 
the  gloaming  between  dinner  and  theatre  to  tell  you  that  I 
am  well,  and  that  I  think  of  you  with  warmest  love.  I 
have  passed  a  horrible  night  on  a  camp-stool,  leaving  Ant- 
werp at  one  o'clock  at  night  on  an  overcrowded  steamer. 
Through  the  twisting  labyrinthine  arms  of  the  Scheldt, 
Mouse,  and  Rhine,  I  arrived  early  this  morning  in  Rotter- 
dam, and  here  about  four  o'clock.  This  is  a  strange  place; 
many  streets  are  something  like  those  in  Venice;  some 
just  like  them,  with  water  up  to  the  walls,  others  with 
canals  as  high-roads,  and  narrow  paths  set  with  lindens 
in  front  of  the  houses.  These  last,  with  fantastically  formed 
gables,  queer  and  smoky,  almost  spookish,  and  chimneys 
that  look  like  a  man  standing  on  his  head  with  his  legs 
stretched   wide  apart.     That   which   does   not  smack   of 

293 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK       [Aug. 

Venice  is  the  active  life  and  movement  here,  and  the  multi- 
tude of  fine  shops,  one  Gerson  after  another,  and  more  mag- 
nificently decorated  than  those  of  Paris  and  London,  as  I 
remember  them.  When  I  hear  the  play  of  the  bells,  and, 
with  a  long  clay  pipe  in  my  mouth,  look  through  the  forest 
of  masts  and  over  the  canals  at  the  gables  and  chimneys, 
fantastically  blurred  in  the  twilight,  then  all  the  Dutch 
ghost-stories  of  my  childhood  occur  to  me,  about  Dolph 
Heyliger  and  Rip  Van  Winkle  and  The  Flying  Dutch- 
man.  .  .  . 

I  am  very  glad,  indeed,  to  have  seen  Holland;  from 
Rotterdam  here  it  is  meadow-land,  always  equally  green 
and  flat,  and  with  many  bushes,  and  cattle  feeding,  and 
some  cities  cut  out  of  old  picture-books ;  no  arable  ground 
at  all.  Farewell,  my  beloved  heart.  Lots  of  love  to  all 
who  are  with  you. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


NORDERNEY,  August  27,  '53. 
MY  BELOVED  HEART, — I  came  in  here  last  evening 
in  a  big  Dutch  tub,  amid  thunder,  lightning,  and  rain; 
have  had  a  glorious  sea-bath  to-day,  after  being  without 
it  for  a  week,  and  I  am  now  sitting  in  a  little  fisherman's 
house,  with  a  feeling  of  great  loneliness  and  longing  for 
you,  which  is  partly  heightened  by  the  cry  of  children  who 
are  with  the  landlord  near  by,  and  partly  gains  a  melan- 
choly accompaniment  from  the  whistling  rage  of  the  storm 
about  the  gable  and  flag-pole.  ...  I  wrote  you  last  from 
Amsterdam,  from  Brussels  before.  Since  then  I  have  seen 
a  charming  little  country — West  Friesland — quite  flat,  but 
so  bushy  and  green,  with  lots  of  hedges,  and  every  nice 
peasant  cottage  alone  by  itself  in  the  woods,  so  that  one 

294 


1853]      THE   LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

longs  for  the  quiet  independence  that  seems  to  reign 
there — but  perhaps  this  feeling  of  good-will  should  be  at- 
tributed especially  to  the  fact  that  all  the  girls  are  pretty 
as  pictures,  as  they  are  at  Linz  and  Gmunden,  only  taller 
and  slenderer  than  there,  fair — colors  like  milk  and  roses, 
and  a  golden  helmet-like  head-dress  that  is  very  becom- 
ing. .  .  . 

I  long  for  the  south,  but,  above  all,  for  my  place  by  your 
side,  my  home,  "wherever  thou  art."  A  thousand  remem- 
brances to  big  and  small.     Farewell. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


NORDERNEY,  September  5,  '53. 

My  beloved  Heart,—  ...  I  long  to  be  with  you, 
although  I  have  nothing  else  to  complain  of,  and  am 
leading  a  life  which  is  mentally  very  restful.  At  about 
eight  I  bathe;  that  is  best  of  all;  royal  waves,  high  as 
a  tree,  and  like  a  waterfall  when  they  break;  soft  sand 
and  no  stones.  It  is  always  hard  to  leave  them,  to 
climb  around  them  for  about  two  hours  among  the  miles 
of  sand-dunes,  to  frighten  the  rabbits  and  birds,  and  to  lie 
in  the  warm  sand  among  the  wild  whortleberry  bushes, 
smoking,  dreaming,  or  thinking  of  Interlaken.  Then  the 
rest  of  the  day  is  trifled  away  with  bowling,  target-shoot- 
ing, dinner,  boating,  promenade  on  the  beach,  and  supper, 
so  that  I  don't  know  where  the  day  is  gone,  and,  with  a  shy 
glance  at  my  pens  and  paper  lying  ready,  I  slip,  towards 
eleven  o'clock,  through  my  study  into  the  chamber,  to  sleep 
capitally  on  a  seaweed  mattress. 

When  I  had  written  thus  far  yesterday,  a  Gottingen 
friend  arrived  suddenly  with  his  wife  to  call  on  me.  I  have 
passed  to-day  with  him,  and  he  leaves  again  early  to-mor- 

29S 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK     [Aug. 

row.  I  have  always  considered  it  difficult  to  take  up  again, 
after  twenty  years,  a  melody  that  has  died  away  into  si- 
lence. I  had  in  mind  a  jolly  student,  full  of  liveliness  and 
wit,  and  I  find  a  sickly  official,  whose  buoyancy  has  been 
quelled  and  his  circle  of  feeling  narrowed  down  by  years 
of  depression,  brought  on  by  the  conditions  of  life  in  a 
small  town.  There  is  something  that  always  stamps  the 
provincial  German;  my  friend  has  still  a  clear  mind  and 
a  noble  soul,  but  there  is  something  about  him  of  a  person 
who  has  spent  many  years  in  prison,  and  whose  thoughts 
linger  among  the  cobwebs  that  he  used  to  watch  there,  or 
with  the  one  green  tree  that  stood  before  his  window.  The 
fact  that  he  feels  happy  is  comforting,  and  at  the  same 
time  depressing,  to  me ;  he  seems  to  love  his  wife,  and  has 
three  children.  He  is  staying  in  the  house  with  me,  in 
Kleist's  deserted  place.  I  have  taken  him  in  here  as  my 
guest.  .  .  .  Farewell,  my  darling.  The  blessing  of  the  Lord 
be  with  you  and  all  lnterlaken. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

NORDERNEY,  September  7,  1853. 


Paris,  August  27,  '55. 
MY  DEAREST, — For  three  days  the  paper  has  been 
lying  ready  to  write  to  you,  and  always  the  wave  of  this 
mad  activity  has  rushed  me  away  from  the  table.  There 
is  always  something  to  do,  and  still  it's  busy  idleness.  .  .  . 
Day  before  yesterday  a  ball  at  Versailles,  very  magnificent, 
and  many  remarkable  people  to  see.  I  was  presented  to 
Queen  Victoria,  the  Emperor  and  Empress,  and  I  was  treat- 
ed with  remarkable  kindness,  according  to  the  custom  here. 
The  Empress  is  more  beautiful  than  any  of  the  pictures  I 
have  seen  of  her,  uncommonly  gracious  and  charming, 

296 


1855]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

more  the  style  of  Malle  than  of  Nelly/"  but  a  longer,  nar- 
rower face  than  the  aforesaid,  more  beautiful  eyes  and 
mouth,  and,  of  course,  fabulous  diamonds.  The  exhi- 
bition is  tiresome  except  for  the  pictures.  Millions  of  most 
different  kinds  of  things  whose  name  no  one  knows,  and 
whose  mass  alone  robs  one  of  all  clearness  of  impression, 
even  without  the  deafening  din  of  the  machines.  It  would 
be  necessary  to  devote  several  weeks  of  one's  time  exclusive- 
ly to  it,  in  order  to  get  one's  bearings  there  at  all.  To-day 
I  dine  with  Count  Walewsky,  the  Manteuffel  of  Paris,  and 
who  has  a  very  agreeable  wife,  an  Italian  woman.  These 
everlasting  dinners  leave  me  no  chance  to  rest  or  to  go 
to  the  theatre;  dinner  at  seven,  lasting,  with  coffee  and 
cigars,  till  nine ;  and  then  an  extra  hour  is  needed,  besides, 
because  of  the  fabulous  distances.  When  they  speak  here 
of  the  distance  from  us  to  Moritz  Bethmann's,  they  say: 
"  C'est  tout  pres  d'ici."  It  is  worse  than  in  London,  where 
one  goes  about  in  only  one  part  of  the  city.  A  lot  of  streets 
of  earlier  times  have  entirely  vanished,  and  their  places 
have  been  taken  by  long,  straight  ones  like  the  Friedrich- 
strasse,  with  four  hundred  and  more  house  numbers.  .  .  . 
I  am  through  with  Paris  now;  though  I  do  not  mean  to 
say  that  it  has  not  been  very  interesting  to  me  hitherto.  .  .  . 
The  true  taste  for  travel  has  really  left  me.  If  we  can  find 
out  some  pretty  little  place  for  a  few  weeks,  I  should  like  to 
go  there  with  you.  .  .  .  Love  a  thousand  times  over  to 
parents.  Your  most  faithful  V.   B. 

PARIS,  September  2,  '55. 
Frau  von  Bismarck,  19  Gr.  Galleng,  Frankfort,  Germany: 
My  DEAREST, — By  urging,  and  on  other  accounts,  I 

*  Vrints. 

297 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK     [Sept. 

have  been  persuaded  to  stay  on  here  for  a  few  days  longer. 
I  had  other  political  acquaintances  to  make,  and  want 
to  take  part  in  a  rabbit -hunt  to-morrow  at  Fontaine- 
bleau.  Forgive  this  lengthening  of  my  absence;  I  prom- 
ise you  to  make  up  for  it  by  coming  home  in  good  health 
and  spirits,  and  in  need  of  no  more  sea-baths.  Also  I  shall 
probably  give  up  going  around  by  Ostend,  and  thereby 
regain  a  few  days.  In  any  case,  I  shall  come  on  one  of 
the  last  three  days  of  this  week,  Saturday  at  latest.  It  is 
a  wonderful  city,  this  Paris.  Think  of  ten  Frankforts  side 
by  side,  lots  of  streets  full  of  shops  like  Zeil  Street,  and  in 
every  one  of  them  the  same  noisiness,  and  as  it  is  in  Gallen 
Street,  after  the  arrival  of  three  crowded  trains,  and  then 
ten  quieter  Frankforts  set  round  it.  A  part  of  the  environs 
is  very  pretty,  something  like  the  bank  of  the  lake  at 
Zurich,  without  water  (unless  one  counts  the  Seine,  which 
is  smaller  than  the  Main) ;  green  and  hill}7,  with  many 
cosey  white  houses,  cities,  and  villages.  If  we  are  alive 
and  well  next  year,  I  should  like  to  go  with  you,  via 
Lyons,  to  Marseilles,  then  along  the  Pyrenees,  and  back 
through  Bayonne,  Bordeaux,  and  Paris.  It  is  a  trip  of 
three  weeks — less,  if  desired — and  would  cost  for  us  both 
about  a  thousand  florins.  I  was  very  much  tempted  to  do 
it,  but  do  not  want  to  be  alone.  We  have  had  autumn 
weather  for  two  days,  stormy,  with  falling  leaves,  and 
half  the  day  1  am  homesick,  the  other  half  I  have  not  time 
to  be  so.  An  answer  to  this  letter  will  not  reach  me  here ; 
if  you  have  not  meanwhile  had  the  instinct  to  write  to  me 
here,  I  shall  have  to  content  nwself,  without  news,  with 
trusting  in  God's  mercy  that  all  are  well  at  home,  and 
especially  you,  my  love.  The  pleasure  of  enjoying  the 
Rhine  air  for  a  couple  of  weeks  we  can  still  have,  and 
perhaps  the  air  of  Switzerland,  too,  if  the  King   does  not 

298 


1855]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

come.  We  will  talk  it  over  verbally  in  four  or  five  days. 
Until  then,  farewell,  my  heart.  Give  love  to  our  dear 
parents  and  children.     God  keep  you  all. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


BERLIN,  Tuesday. 
(Not  dated.) 

My  LOVE, — Hearty  thanks  for  your  letter  received 
yesterday — to  you  for  the  writing,  and  to  God  for  the  con- 
tents— that  you  are  all  well.  I  am  well,  too,  and  plough 
bravely  through  all  dinners,  balls,  hunts;  yesterday  I 
danced  at  the  Frenchman's,  even  waltzed,  with  Malle, 
childish  fashion;  meanwhile,  cdl  manner  of  annoyance 
about  Neuenburg;  some  of  the  Royalists  who  were  taken 
prisoners  are  here,  and  they  are  tormenting  the  King  in 
the  worst  way  to  give  up  Prussia  rather  than  Neuenburg, 
and  are  behaving  as  though  they  had  been  of  immeasurable 
service,  while  in  reality  they  are  about  in  the  position  of  a 
man  who  wishes  to  oblige  some  one  with  a  light  for  his 
cigar,  and  in  so  doing  sets  fire  to  the  house ;  in  such  a  case 
I  should  make  only  modest  demands  of  gratitude  for  the 
devotion  I  had  shown,  if  the  result  were  so  unpleasant. 
In  the  end  we  shall  be  exposed  to  ridicule  for  not  having 
decided  quickly  enough  to  do  what  must  be  done.   .   .   . 

Meyerbeer  is  composing  above  me,  is  playing  sickly, 
raging  music,  plays  ten  or  twelve  measures,  repeating 
them  with  alterations  of  a  few  notes,  then  silence,  then 
again  other  themes,  many  a  one  ten  times  before  it  suits 
him.  Many  people  send  you  regards.  I  rode  to  Potsdam 
recently  with  Marie  Stolberg.  She  was  right  charming, 
and  invited  me  to  dine  with  her,  but  I  could  not.  I  am  all 
Chamber;    the  quarrel  with  the  Ministry  about  the  new 

299 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Apr. 

taxes  is  serious — Moritz  in  advance  with  Gerlach,  in  the 
breach  against  the  government.  .   .  . 

Farewell,  my  dear  heart.     Greetings  to  the  children  and 
Pauline,  also  Oertzen.     God  be  with  you. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Paris,  April  9,  '57. 

MY  BELOVED  HEART,— To  be  sure,  I  have  nothing  to 
add  to  my  sheet  of  yesterday,  but  I  think  you  will  receive 
these  lines  day  after  to-morrow,  or  at  earliest  to-morrow 
before  going  to  bed,  and  so,  in  case  the  latter  is  true,  I  will 
wish  you  a  good-night,  with  angels  to  guard  you,  but, 
besides  that,  God's  richest  blessing  on  your  birthday,  for 
next  year  and  beyond ;  may  He  keep  sorrow  and  sickness 
from  you,  let  the  children  be  well,  and  let  me  be  very  seldom 
grumpy  or  absent,  and  reward  you  richly  for  all  the  love 
and  truth  you  have  shown  me.  I  cannot  procure  the  blue- 
breast  here,  it  is  true,  but  a  heart  full  of  thanks  and  love 
for  God  our  Lord,  and  for  you,  my  love,  I  shall  bring  back 
to  you  as  a  birthday  present.  I  can  only  pray  that  things 
may  continue  a  long,  long  time  to  go  with  us  as  hitherto. 

Yesterday  I  had  lots  of  Hatzfeld,  a  very  long  call  with 
Walewsky,  and  with  a  remarkable  old  lady — remarkable 
in  loveliness — the  old  Grand  Duchess  Stephanie,  who  is 
very  gracious  to  me.  .  .  .  Last  evening  I  was  at  the  opera, 
ballet  very  fine,  many  pretty  people,  but  ballets  always  bore 
me.  To-morrow  I  shall  hear  a  German  sermon;  to-day  is 
the  more  important  day  to  the  Catholics,  to-morrow  to  us. 

We  will  celebrate  your  birthday  next  week,  the  day  after 
my  return.  God  be  with  you,  my  heart.  Love  to  the  chil- 
dren.    What  shall  I  bring  with  me  for  Pauline? 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

300 


COUNTESS    MARIE  PRINCESS    BISMARCK  PRINCE    IHSMAR'K 


1857J      THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

Paris,  April  11,  '57. 
MY  BELOVED  HEART, — 1  must  at  least  tell  you,  on 
your  birthday,  that  I  am  with  you  in  my  thoughts,  and 
that  I  have  drunk  your  health  to-day  in  cold  and  good 
champagne  at  the  Three  Freres  Provenceaux,  a  very  good 
drinking-hall  in  the  Palais  Royal.  Then  I  went  to  the 
theatre,  and  saw  a  witty  play,  and  from  there  Rosenberg, 
Werther,  W.  Loe,  and  two  Russians  came  to  see  me,  and 
drank  soda-water,  and  now  I  am  going  to  bed,  and  shall 
dream  of  you  if  I  can. 

1 2th. 
I  have  been  dreaming  all  night  of  dead  and  sick 
birds,  a  lark  with  blue  feathers  that  1  shot,  and  a  crow 
that  I  wanted  to  hold  by  the  tail,  but  he  left  it  in  my  hand, 
and  others,  besides.  You  can  see  from  this  that  your 
bad  luck  with  the  blue-breast  has  been  in  my  mind  all  day 
long.  I  have  already  looked  for  one  here,  but  it  seems  to 
be  quite  unknown ;  there  are  blue-throated  birds,  to  be  sure, 
but  screechers  from  across  the  water.  .  .  .  Farewell,  my 
darling,  and  give  love  to  the  children.  God  protect  you  all. 
Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Paris,  17,  Friday. 
MY  HEART, —  ...  I  was  delighted  to  receive  just  now 
your  copious  letter,  and  to  see  that  the  children  are  well. 
.  .  .  Yesterday,  at  the  Emperor's  dinner,  I  had  the  most 
charming  neighbor,  the  Empress;  truly  an  extraordinary 
woman,  not  only  outwardly.  .  .  .  Farewell,  my  angel. 
God  keep  you  well.  Tuesday  or  Wednesday,  God  willing, 
I  shall  be  there. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

301 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK      [Aug. 

Copenhagen,  August  6,  '57. 
My  HEART, — I  arrived  here  safely  this  morning  at 
seven,  after  a  very  pleasant  journey;  soft  air,  red  moon, 
rocks  of  lime  formation  lighted  by  burning  tar-barrels, 
two  storms  at  sea,  a  pretty  Swedish  girl,  and  some  wind — 
what  more  does  one  need?  Only  the  beauty  of  the  night 
kept  me  from  going  to  bed,  and  when,  at  two  o'clock,  the 
rain  drove  me  from  the  deck,  it  was  so  hot  and  stuffy  and 
crowded  below  that  I  went  up  again  at  three,  with  coat 
and  cigar.  Now  I  have  taken  a  sea-bath,  breakfasted  on 
lobster,  at  half  past  one  must  go  to  court,  and  now  I  want 
to  sleep  two  hours  more.     Hearty  love  to  all  dear  ones. 

Your  V.  B. 


Nasbyholm,  August  9,  '57. 
Frau  von  Bismarck,  Reinfeld,  near  Zuckers,  Pomerania, 
Prussia : 
My  DARLING, — You  will  have  received  my  lines,  writ- 
ten immediately  after  my  arrival  in  Copenhagen.  Since 
then  I  have  been  busy  there  for  two  days  with  museums 
and  politics.  Yesterday  crossed  over  to  Malmo,  and  rode 
about  forty  miles  in  a  northeasterly  direction,  where  I  now 
find  myself  at  this  place,  as  guest  of  Baron  Blixen,  in  a 
white  castle,  high  up  on  a  peninsula  surrounded  by  a  big 
lake.  Through  the  window  I  look  into  thick  ash-foliage, 
through  which  one  catches  some  little  glimpses  of  the 
water  and  the  hills  on  the  other  side ;  the  sun  is  shining, 
flies  are  buzzing,  the  Prince  of  Hesse  is  sitting  behind  me, 
half  reading,  half  dozing,  under  the  window  somebody  is 
talking  broad  Swedish,  and  from  the  kitchen  comes  up  the 
saw-like  sound  of  a  grater.  That  is  all  that  I  can  write 
you  about  the  present.    Yesterday  we  went  buck-shooting — 

302 


1857]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

killed  one;  I  didn't  shoot, got  soaked  through,  then  mulled 
wine,  and  slept  soundlj7  nine  hours.  Roebuck  are  stronger 
here  than  anywhere  that  I  have  ever  seen  them,  and  this 
region  more  beautiful  than  I  thought.  Magnificent  beech 
forests,  hilly,  and,  in  the  garden,  walnut-trees  as  thick  as 
a  man.  We  have  just  been  to  see  the  pheasant-preserve. 
After  dinner  we  go  out  on  the  lake;  shall  shoot  a  duck, 
perhaps,  if  we  are  not  afraid  to  disturb  the  Sabbath  still- 
ness in  this  beautiful  solitude  by  a  report ;  to-morrow  there 
will  be  a  grand  hunt;  next  day  return  to  Copenhagen, 
and  from  there  to  Gr.  Plessen  at  Lindholm,  near  Roeskilde, 
Zealand  Isle;  there  deer-hunt  on  Wednesday.  Thursday, 
via  Copenhagen  to  Helsingborg,  about  one  hundred  miles 
into  Sweden ;  heath  and  mountain  hens  in  desolate  wastes, 
lodgings  in  peasants'  huts,  kitchen  and  provisions  we 
take  with  us.  That  will  last  about  a  week,  and  I  don't 
know  yet  what  I  shall  do  then.  .  .  .  May  the  Lord  keep 
you  all,  and  grant  us  a  joyful  reunion. 

Your  most  faithful  VON  B. 


Copenhagen,  August  n,  '57. 
I  have  just  come  back  from  Sweden,  and  had  been  re- 
joicing all  the  way  that  I  should  find  news  from  you  here, 
but  not  even  a  line,  although  the  mail  comes  daily.  1  con- 
clude from  this  not  only  that  you  are  well,  but  also  that 
your  time  is  pleasantly  filled  up.  .  .  . 

Copenhagen,  13/ft. 
For  two  days  I  have  been  hunting  in  the  most  charm- 
ing region  of  water  and  woods  that  one's  picturesque  fancy 
could  summon.  In  two  hours  Heave  for  Helsingborg,  from 
there  farther  on  into  Sweden.  God  continue  to  guard  you 
and  our  dear  parents.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

303 


THE  LOVE   LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK       [Aug. 

Tomsjonas,  August  16,  '57. 
My  DEAREST, — I  make  use  again  of  the  Sunday  quiet 
to  give  you  a  sign  of  life,  though  1  do  not  know  what  day 
there  will  be  a  chance  to  send  it  out  of  this  wilderness  to  the 
mail.  I  rode  about  seventy  miles  without  break,  through 
the  desolate  forest,  in  order  to  reach  here,  and  before  me  lie 
more  than  a  hundred  miles  more  before  one  gets  to  prov- 
inces of  arable  land.  Not  a  city,  not  a  village,  far  and 
wide ;  only  single  settlers  in  wide  huts,  with  a  little  barley 
and  potatoes,  who  find  rods  of  land  to  till,  here  and  there, 
between  dead  trees,  pieces  of  rock,  and  bushes.  Picture  to 
yourself  about  five  hundred  square  miles  of  such  desolate 
country  as  that  around  Viartlum,  high  heather,  alternat- 
ing with  short  grass  and  bog,  and  with  birches,  junipers, 
pines,  beeches,  oaks,  alders,  here  impenetrably  thick, 
there  thin  and  barren  of  foliage,  the  whole  strewn  with  in- 
numerable stones  of  all  sizes  up  to  that  of  a  house,  smell- 
ing of  wild  rosemary  and  rosin,  at  intervals  wonderfully 
shaped  lakes  surrounded  by  woods  and  hills  of  the  heath, 
then  you  have  the  land  of  Smaa,  where  I  am  just  now. 
Really,  the  land  of  my  dreams,  inaccessible  to  despatches, 
colleagues,  and  Reitzenstein,  but,  unfortunately,  to  you 
as  well.  I  should  like  ever  so  much  to  have  a  hunting- 
castle  on  one  of  these  quiet  lakes,  and  inhabit  it  for  some 
months  with  all  the  dear  ones  whom  I  think  of  now  as  as- 
sembled in  Reinfeld.  In  winter,  to  be  sure,  it  would  not 
be  endurable  here,  especially  in  the  mud  that  all  the  rain 
would  make.  Yesterday  we  turned  out  at  about  five, 
hunted,  in  burning  heat,  up-hill  and  down,  through  bush 
and  fen,  until  eleven,  and  found  absolutely  nothing; 
walking  in  bogs  and  impenetrable  juniper  thickets,  on 
large  stones  and  timbers,  is  very  fatiguing.  Then  we 
slept  in  a  hay-shed  until  two  o'clock,  drank  lots  of  milk, 

304 


1857]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

and  hunted  again  until  sunset,  bringing  down  twenty-five 
grouse  and  two  mountain-hens.  I  shot  four  of  the  former ; 
Engel,  to  his  great  delight,  one  of  the  latter.  Then  we  dined 
in  the  hunting-lodge,  a  remarkable  wooden  building  on  a 
peninsula  in  the  lake.  My  sleeping-room  and  its  three 
chairs,  two  tables,  and  bedstead  are  of  no  other  color  than 
that  of  the  natural  pine-boards,  like  the  whole  house,  whose 
walls  are  made  of  these.  A  sofa  does  not  exist;  bed  very 
hard ;  but  after  such  hardships  as  ours  one  does  not  need 
to  be  rocked  to  sleep.  From  my  window  I  see  a  blooming 
hill  rise  from  the  heath,  on  it  birches  rocking  in  the  wind, 
and  between  them  I  see,  in  the  lake  mirror,  pine-woods  on 
the  other  side.  Near  the  house  a  camp  has  been  put  up 
for  hunters,  drivers,  servants,  and  peasants,  then  the  bar- 
ricade of  wagons,  a  little  city  of  dogs,  eighteen  or  twenty 
huts  on  both  sides  of  a  lane  which  they  form ;  from  each  a 
throng  looks  out,  tired  from  yesterday's  hunt.  .  .  . 

17th. 
Six  wolves  were  here  this  morning,  and  tore  a  poor  ox 
to  pieces ;  we  found  their  fresh  tracks,  but  did  not  catch 
sight  of  them.  We  have  been  on  the  go  from  4  A.M. 
to  8  P.M.,  shot  four  heath-hens,  slept  two  hours  on  mown 
heather,  now  dead  tired  and  to  bed. 

19th. 

There  is  no  possibility  of  getting  off  a  letter  from  here 
without  sending  a  messenger  sixty  miles  to  the  post- 
office,  so  I  shall  take  this  myself  to-morrow  to  the  coast.  I 
fell  yesterday  just  as  the  dog  pointed,  and  I  was  looking 
more  at  him  than  at  the  ground,  and  I  hurt  my  left  shin- 
bone.  Yesterday  we  had  an  uncommonly  severe  hunt, 
far  away  and  rocky,  and,  though  it  brought  me  in  a  young 

u  305 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK      [Aug. 

mountain-cock,  it  tamed  me  down  to  such  an  extent  that 
to-day  I  am  staying  in  the  house  putting  on  poultices,  so 
that  I  shall  be  ready  for  travelling  to-morrow,  and  for 
hunting  day  after.  I  admire  myself  for  having  stayed 
behind  alone  in  this  charming  weather,  and  can  hardly 
help  hoping,  with  shameful  jealousy,  that  the  others,  too, 
will  not  shoot  anj^thing.  It  is  a  little  too  late  in  the 
year;  the  fowl  are  shy,  or  the  game  would  be  much  more 
plentiful.  Charming  surroundings  we  had  yesterday,  .  .  . 
all  just  as  God  made  it — forest,  rock,  heath,  bog,  lake.  I 
shall  probably  emigrate  to  this  place  yet  some  day.  ...  I 
have  amused  myself  all  day  trying  to  learn  Danish  from 
the  doctor  who  makes  my  poultices.  We  brought  him  with 
us  from  Copenhagen.  There  are  none  here.  Since  the 
report  that  a  doctor  is  present  has  spread  through  the 
woods,  from  twenty  to  thirty  of  the  hut  people  have  been 
streaming  in  here  daily  to  get  his  advice.  Sunday  even- 
ing we  gave  a  very  jolly  dancing  affair  for  the  peasants 
who  live  within  the  twenty-five  square  miles  of  forest  in 
the  hunting-grounds ;  and  the  music  was  alternately  sung 
and  played.  There  they  heard  of  the  learned  man,  and 
now  come  people  who  have  been  hopelessly  crippled  for 
twenty  years,  hoping  for  help  from  him,  as  savages  do 
from  a  magician. 

GUNARSTORP,    August  21. 

Yesterday  we  took  the  journey  out  of  the  forest,  and 
to-day  here,  about  fifteen  miles  from  Helsingborg,  have 
hunted  a  little  and  dined.  I  couldn't  walk,  because  of  my 
leg,  so  went  along  on  the  hunt  riding.  In  spite  of  this 
impediment,  I  was  the  only  one  that  succeeded  in  bringing 
down  a  cock ;  there  are  many  here,  but  already  too  shy ; 
they  don't  stay  near.     It  is  incredible  with  what  surefooted- 

306 


1857]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK 

ness  my  horse  climbed  over  stones  and  broke  through  thick- 
ets ;  no  hunting  dog  can  do  better.  It  was  as  though  1  had 
four  legs  that  I  was  moving  myself ;  unfortunately  he  is  not 
for  sale,  or  I  should  buy  him  for  you.  .  .  .  The  conditions 
here  are  much  milder  than  I  expected.  Fine  fruit  and  wal- 
nut trees,  glorious  old  beech  forests,  at  whose  edge  stands 
the  house,  with  its  gables  and  towers,  overlooking,  towards 
the  other  side,  a  fine  expanse  of  wheat ;  under  my  window 
a  French  garden,  with  old  hedges  of  box  and  beech.  The 
revolution  seems  to  have  passed  this  strange  land,  without 
leaving  a  trace,  while  in  Denmark  it  turned  everything 
topsy-turvy.  In  Sweden  everything  gives  an  impression 
of  military  discipline,  more  so  than  at  home  thirty  years 
ago,  almost  more  so  than  at  any  time  up  to  1806.  .  .  . 

Now  fare  well,  very  well,  my  heart.     God  keep  you,  and 
all  our  family.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


MEMEL,  August  29,  '57. 

My  DARLING, — To  be  sure,  I  cannot  tell  you  much  that 
is  new  since  my  Berlin  letter  of  day  before  yesterday,  but 
still  I  can  give  you  the  news  that  1  have  arrived  here  safely, 
and  am  casting  loving  glances  towards  you  over  the  sea  ; 
if  the  latter  were  not  round,  and  my  eyes  were  better,  and 
the  weather  clearer,  perhaps  I  could  catch  a  glimpse  of  you, 
at  this  sunset  hour,  on  the  pier  at  Stolpmiinde;  there  are 
no  mountains,  at  least,  between  us,  for  I  hardly  believe 
that  the  rocks  of  Wertenhagen,  near  Freiche,  leach  as  far 
as  the  straight  line  between  here  and  the  point  where  the 
pier  extends.  From  Natel  to  Dirschau,  my  thoughts  were 
centred  on  Reinfeld,  and  at  Elburg  I  saw,  not  Hohendorf, 
to  be  sure,  but  still  Saxe-Drausen  and  something  of  Schlo- 
bitten.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

307 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK    [Sept.  '57 

KONIGSBERG,  September  12,  '57. 
MY  DEAREST, — It  was  with  great  delight  that  I  found 
your  four  letters  in  Polaugen  (which,  by  the  way,  is  not  in 
Prussia,  but  in  Russia),  and  learned  that  things  have  gone 
well  with  you  and  the  children.  It  seems  that,  up  to  the 
8th,  you  had  not  yet  received  any  letters  from  me,  which  I 
don't  understand,  particular^  in  the  case  of  the  first,  for 
I  mailed  it  in  Polaugen  on  August  29th;  the  other  two 
might  reasonably  be  still  on  the  way.  I  have  been  pros- 
pering; the  Finland  folk  all  showed  me  touching  kind- 
ness, such  as  one  will  rarely  meet  as  a  stranger  in  any 
other  country.  I  have  brought  down,  besides  divers  roe- 
bucks and  fallow-deer,  a  very  strong  buck,  which,  by 
straight  (not  round)  measure,  was  six  feet  eight  inches 
high,  and  then,  too,  carried  its  colossal  head  above  that, 
probably  nine  or  ten  feet  high  in  the  air.  He  fell  like 
a  hare,  but,  as  he  was  still  alive,  I  put  another  shot  into 
him,  in  pity,  and  had  hardly  done  so  when  another, 
and  probably  bigger  one,  came  running  by,  so  near  me 
that  Engel,  who  was  loading,  sprang  behind  a  tree,  so 
as  not  to  be  run  down ;  and  I  had  to  content  myself  with 
looking  at  him  in  friendly  fashion,  as  I  had  no  more 
shots.  I  can't  seem  to  get  rid  of  my  vexation  over  this, 
and  have  to  fret  out  some  of  it  to  you.  I  wounded  one, 
besides,  and  they  will  probably  find  that  yet,  and  one  I 
completely  missed.  So  I  must  have  shot  eight  head  of 
game.  Day  before  yesterday  evening  we  left  Dondangen, 
and  covered  the  distance  of  about  one  hundred  miles  back 
to  Memel,  without  a  road,  through  woods  and  wastes,  in 
twenty-nine  hours,  in  an  open  wagon,  over  stock  and  stone, 
so  that  it  was  necessary  to  hang  on  to  keep  from  tumbling 
out.  After  three  hours  of  sleep  in  Memel  we  came  here 
early  this  morning  by  the  steamer,  and  we  leave  here  for 

308 


Apr.  '58]  THE  LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

Berlin  this  evening,  arriving  there  to-morrow  evening. 
"We"  are,  namely,  Behr  and  myself.  I  can't  stop  in  Ho- 
hendorf ;  I  ought  to  have  been  in  Berlin  by  to-day,  accord- 
ing to  my  furlough ;  but  then  I  should  have  had  to  give  up 
the  best  hunting,  that  in  Dondangen,  with  the  big  deer,  or 
"bollen,"  as  they  call  them  there,  and  I  should  not  have 
seen  how  the  axle  of  a  peasant  wagon  broke  under  the  big 
beast's  weight.  Monday  comes  the  Emperor  to  Berlin, 
and  so  1  ought  to  be  there  beforehand,  and  was  to  get  there 
"  several  days  "  in  advance  !  .  .  .  Well,  farewell,  my  angel. 
I  must  write  some  other  letters;  give  lots  of  love  to  our 
parents  and  children,  and  tell  the  last  that  their  letters  gave 
me  a  great  deal  of  pleasure. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

BERLIN,  Tuesday  [April,  '58  (?)]. 
(Not  dated.) 

I  count  on  being  able  to  leave  to-morrow  morning,  thus 
reaching  you,  my  heart,  to-morrow  evening,  where  it  is 
nicer  than  here,  even  though  there  is  a  lack  of  curtains. 
Here  everybody  is  intriguing  against  everybody  else,  and 
every  one  is  hoping  I  shall  put  my  eggs  in  his  nest.  The 
result  is  that  I  hardty  get  any  rest  at  night,  and  still 
make  no  progress  in  regular  business  matters.  This  even- 
ing I  spend  at  the  Princess's;  then  to  bed  late  and  up 
early.  I  shall  sink  very  weary  into  your  arms.  .  .  .  The 
news  about  old  Schreck*  is  very  sad ;  the  light  of  his  mind 
is  going  out,  and  it  is  hoped  that  the  increasing  weakness 
will  soon  put  an  end  to  it  all.  Yet,  if  it  is  God's  will,  He 
can  turn  all  this  human  anxiety  to  folly,  and  make  the 
glorious  brown  eyes    clear  again.     The   case  meets  with 

*  General  von  Schreckenstein. 
309 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK   [Aug. '58 

deep  sympathy  here;  the  journey  to  England,  on  which 
the  old  gentleman  went  along  against  his  will,  through  a 
feeling  of  dut3r,  used  up  his  last  remaining  powers.  .  .  . 
Last  evening  1  was  at  Eb.  Stol berg's.  She  sends  you 
cordial  regards.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Frankfort,  August  1,  '58. 
DEAR  MOTHER, — Both  your  dear  letters  have  given 
me  great  pleasure  in  my  loneliness ;  every  sign  of  life  from 
the  dear  ones  who  belong  to  me  fills  in  somewhat  the 
emptiness  that  surrounds  me,  and  of  which  I  was  espe- 
cially sensible  last  evening,  when  your  letter  of  the  26th 
came.  I  had  accompanied  the  Prince  of  Prussia  as  far 
as  Rudesheim ;  from  there  Princess  Carl  took  me  with  her 
to  Schlangenbad.  .  .  .  Then  I  was  in  Wiesbaden  for  sev- 
eral hours,  on  business  with  the  King  of  Holland,  and  ar- 
rived in  my  quiet  house  just  with  the  sunset  light,  which 
lay,  very  beautiful,  on  the  Taunus,  but  somehow  not  con- 
ducive to  a  cheerful  mood.  .  .  .  Farewell. 

Your  true  son,  v.  B. 


1F1I1F 


LETTERS  WRITTEN  WHILE  MINISTER  TO 

ST.   PETERSBURG    AND    PARIS 

1859-1862 


BERLIN,  January  15,  '59. 
MY  DEAR  HEART, — I  sent  word  yesterday  through 
Engel  of  my  well-being,  because  it  was  not  possible  for  me 
to  get  to  my  desk.  .  .  .  Do  you  know  that  Carl  Canitz  is 
engaged? — to  a  young  Englishwoman!  More  than  that  is 
not  known  about  her  here.  She  will  have  a  hard  time  with 
the  Benedick-devil  in  him.  Pourtales  is  actually  nom- 
inated for  Vienna.  0.  Usedom  is  still  fighting  for  Frank- 
fort, but  without  prospect  of  result.  She  will  probably  go 
to  Brussels,  Savigny  perhaps  to  Munich,  Goltz  to  Con- 
stantinople. They  are  kinder  to  me  at  court  than  ever, 
especially  the  Prince,  but  the  Princess,  too.  The  Ministers 
are  in  an  uncomfortable  position;  the  Prince  is  urging 
them  to  the  right;  their  professed  friends  in  the  Chamber 
are  dragging  them  to  the  left,  and,  to  be  sure,  a  person  can 
only  go  one  way  at  once.  I  still  think  I  shall  be  back  on 
Thursday,  though  the  Prince  expressed  the  hope  that  I 
should  be  able  to  stay  longer.  As  yet  I  have  no  letter 
from  you.     Love  to  the  children  and  Jenny. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

Your  letter  has  just  come ;  many  thanks. 


Berlin,  March  7,  '59. 
MY  DEAREST,  BEST  ONE,— I  have  arrived  safely  here 
— Hotel   Royal.     I  couldn't   say  a   real   good-bye   to  you 
yesterday  in  the  crowd  of  people,  or  to  the  children,  either. 

3U 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS  OF  BISMARCK  [Mar. 

There  remained  in  me  a  feeling  of  dissatisfaction  because 
of  this,  and  the  weather  was  depressingly  sad.  The  last 
good  look  was  at  the  Beckers;  as  I  could  find  no  card,  I 
threw  them  a  pencil  as  the  token  of  a  last  greeting,  and  I 
fear  it  went  into  somebody's  face.  In  spite  of  the  dull 
light,  Bockenheim  and  the  country  about  Vilbel  never 
seemed  so  beautiful  to  me  as  at  my  departure.  At  Butz- 
bach  it  got  dark  inside  and  out.  To-day  a  cold,  glistening 
sun  is  shining,  with  wind  and  dust — real  diplomats'  weath- 
er. ...  I  am  well,  but  full  of  grievous  longing  for  you. 
Give  love  to  the  children,  and  caress  them  for  me,  and 
lots  of  nice  things  to  the  Beckers.  With  all  the  wishes  for 
blessings  upon  you  that  a  human  heart  can  hold. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

Don't  fail  to  rest  well  at  night. 


Berlin,  March  9,  '59. 

MY  DEAR  HEART,— Thanks  for  your  letters,  which 
came  yesterday  and  to-day;  I  can  but  tell  you,  in  few 
words,  that  I  am  well,  and  shall  be  happj^  if  I  can  start  in 
a  week;  it  is  hardly  likely  to  be  sooner.  ...  I  shall  not 
be  able  to  take  Putsch  along  to  Petersburg,  since  Werther 
tells  me  I  could  not  make  use  of  more  than  two  servants  at 
most  who  speak  no  Russian.  Do  not  tell  him  so  as  a 
finality,  but  prepare  him  for  it.  Werther 's  wife  is  tearful 
at  having  had  to  leave  Petersburg.  He  thinks  the  salary 
enough  to  live  on,  though  I  find  everj'thing  he  tells  me  of 
horribly  dear;  he  has,  however,  saved  something. 

1  must  go.  God's  grace  be  with  you  and  all  of  us.  Lov- 
ing greetings  to  children,  Jenny,  Beckers,  Gayette. 

Your  faithful  V.  B. 

Snow  and  sunshine  alternate  here. 

314 


1859]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

Berlin,  March  17,  '59. 
MY  BELOVED  HEART,— I  am  still  here,  to  my  great 
annoyance;  I  am  utterly  at  a  loss  what  to  do,  and  how  to 
answer  the  eternally  repeated  questions  about  my  de- 
parture. I  had  fixed  on  Saturday  as  my  last  day,  and 
yesterday  was  told  that  a  letter  from  the  Prince  to  the  Czar, 
which  I  must  carry,  will  not  be  ready  till  the  beginning  of 
next  week.  Yesterday  I  had  callers  while  still  in  bed,  and 
one  followed  another,  so  that  for  more  than  two  hours  I  could 
not  rise  and  dress.  I  wanted  to  write  you  3^esterday  and  the 
day  before,  but  was  kept  beset,  so  that  each  time  I  had  to 
drive  the  last  caller  away  forcibly,  in  order  to  attend  to  my 
own  affairs  before  meal-time.  Day  before  yesterday,  dinner 
with  Schlcinitz;  yesterday,  Prince  Carl;  to-day,  Budberg. 
I  am  utterly  indignant  with  this  purposeless  time-killing, 
in  which  one  cannot  catch  breath.  The  parcel  with  trav- 
elling comforts  reached  me  to-day.  Saturday  or  Sunday  I 
shall  go  to  Schonhausen,  probably  with  Malle.  What 
Olympia  says  of  her  is  nonsense;  she  has  hardly  seen 
her  all  winter.  Malle  has  Kissingenized  for  three  months 
of  the  winter,  and  it  has  done  her  much  good;  she  is  some- 
what stronger,  and  very  cheerful.  Speak  very  guardedly 
to  Olympia ;  she  will  have  tales  to  tell  even  if  you  do  not 
open  your  mouth.  .  .  .  Farewell,  my  sweetheart.  I  cannot 
start  before  Tuesday.  Hearty  love.  God's  mercy  guard 
you  all.  V.  B. 

Have  the  children's  bad  teeth  stopped  growing   again, 
that  they  have  to  be  plugged? 

Berlin,  March  22,  '59. 
MY  DEAR  HEART,— Just  what  1   predicted  has    hap- 
pened.    After  being  made  to  wait  here  sixteen  days  need- 
lessly 1  was  informed  yesterday  evening  at  five  that  1  must 

315 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK     [Mar. 

be  off  in  a  hurry,  and  this  evening  at  latest !  That  I  find 
1  cannot  do,  and  shall  not  leave  before  to-morrow  (Wednes- 
day) evening,  and  even  by  that  time  I  shall  have  difficulty 
in  getting  through  with  all  farewell  notices.  Your  com- 
plaint that  1  do  not  treat  you  well  in  the  matter  of  letters 
shows  true  feminine  injustice;  I  wrote  on  Friday  and  on 
Monday,  and  had  Kliiber  write  on  Sunday.  If  I  had  want- 
ed to  write  between  times,  I  should  have  had  to  do  it  from  a 
Ghent  or  Potsdam  coupe.  If  you  were  only  to  see  how 
things  go  with  me  here,  you  would  simply  admire  me  for 
writing  at  all.  I  neither  believe  nor  wish  that  we  are  to  stay 
only  a  year  in  Petersburg ;  and  if  it  were  so,  it's  the  same 
thing  whether  we  are  saddled  then  with  our  own  things  or 
Werther's ;  it  depends  entirely  upon  which  can  be  arranged 
most  cheaply  for  our  use  there.  Hearty  greetings  to  chil- 
dren, and  Jenny  and  Beckers  and  Gayette  and  Eisen- 
deckers,  etc.  A  week  from  to-day,  God  willing,  I  shall  be 
skating  on  the  Neva.  Bucking,  who  has  just  been  in  to 
see  me,  says  he  would  send  me  to  Petersburg  for  my  health 
if  I  were  not  going  there,  anyway. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


KONIGSBERG,  March  24,  '59. 
My  DEAR  HEART, — I  arrived  here  two  hours  ago,  and 
already  the  diligence  is  waiting  at  the  door — one  large 
four-horse  affair,  and  one  baggage-wagon  with  two  horses. 
To-morrow  at  noon  I  expect  to  be  in  Kowno.  We  are  both 
hale  and  hearty,  and  send  best  greetings.  Lots  of  love  to 
the  children,  Jenny,  and  all  friends.  Kliiber  is  a  bit  old- 
maidish;  he  must  get  married.  May  he  make  as  happy 
a  choice  in  it  as  your  most  faithful  husband.  I  do  not 
grudge  it  him. 

316 


1859]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

KOWNO,  March  25,  '59. 
MY  LOVE, — Snow-storms  all  the  way  from  Konigsberg 
here,  six  inches  deep;  everything  white;  360  to  470;  ice. 
Rode  one  hundred  and  forty-nine  miles  in  twenty-eight 
hours,  with  post-horses,  in  Prussia  and  Russia  equally 
bad;  crossed  the  Niemen  at  night  in  beautiful  clear  win- 
ter weather;  old  city,  river  banks  mountainous,  prettily 
lighted  by  stars  and  snow  and  window -lights;  black, 
rushing  water,  broad  as  the  Elbe.  Russians  very  amiable, 
but  post-horses  bad,  and  often  none.  We  shall  sleep  here 
four  hours,  then  on  to  Diina.     Good-night,  with  love. 

Your  most  true  V.  B. 

Pskov,  March  28,  '59. 
MY  DEAR  HEART, — Russia  has  stretched  out  under 
our  wheels;  the  versts  increased  in  number  at  every  sta- 
tion, but  at  last  we  are  in  the  haven  of  the  railway.  Drove 
ninety-six  hours  from  Konigsberg  without  stopping,  only 
in  Kowno  we  slept  four  hours,  and  three  in  Egypt  (a  sta- 
tion near  Diinaburg) — I  think  it  was  day  before  yesterday. 
I  feel  very  well  now,  only  my  skin  burns,  for  I  sat  outside 
almost  all  the  way,  and  the  temperature  was  from  two  to 
twenty-four  degrees  below  freezing-point.  In  the  wagon 
there  was  not  room  for  Kliiber  and  me,  so  I  changed  places 
with  Engel.  We  had  snow  so  deep  that,  with  six  and 
eight  horses,  we  literally  got  stuck,  and  had  to  get  out. 
Still  worse  were  the  slippery  mountains,  especially  going 
down ;  for  twenty  paces  we  took  an  hour,  because  the 
horses  fell  four  times  and  eight  times  interfered  with  one 
another;  added  to  that  night  and  wind,  a  real  winter 
journey,  without  modification.  The  wagon  was  too  heavy. 
Kliiber  had  about  four  hundred  pounds  of  things;  for  one 
it  would  hardly  have  been  comfortable;  for  two  it    was 

317 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK     [Mar. 

torture.  It  was  impossible  to  sleep  in  my  seat  outside, 
on  account  of  the  cold,  but  still  it  was  better  in  the  open 
air ;  the  sleep  I  can  make  up.  The  Niemen  was  open ;  the 
Wilia,  a  river  that  you  hardly  know,  but  as  broad  as  the 
Main  and  very  rapid,  was  thick  with  ice.  The  Diina  had 
only  one  clear  spot,  where,  by  dint  of  four  hours'  waiting 
and  three  hours'  work,  we  got  across.  The  whole  region 
is  something  like  old  Pomerania,  without  villages,  much 
as  it  is  between  Butow  and  Berent;  some  good  forests, 
but  the  majority  like  the  New  Kolziglow  pines.  Plenty 
of  birch  forest,  miles  of  marshes;  road  straight  as  an 
arrow ;  every  fourteen  to  twenty-two  versts  a  post-station 
like  Horuskrug,  all  well  arranged,  everything  to  be  had, 
and  all  heated;  everybody  very  polite,  and  service 
prompt;  only  the  other  side  of  Diinaburg  not  horses 
enough;  waited  at  the  station  near  Kowno  three  hours, 
and  then — tired  beasts.  Where  the  road  was  good  they 
travelled  splendidly,  running  miles  at  a  time  with  the 
big,  heavy  wagon;  but  they  cannot  pull  where  the  road 
is  hard,  however  severe  the  postilions  are.  The  ordinary 
man  pleases  me  in  general,  judging  from  first  appear- 
ances. It  is  now  six;  we  have  just  dined;  opposite  me 
(1  am  writing  on  the  table-cloth)  sits  Kliiber,  who  is  smok- 
ing pensively.  At  seven  forty-five  the  train  leaves,  two 
versts  away.  To-morrow  morning,  at  four  fifteen  (seven 
days  after  starting),  if  it  is  God's  gracious  will,  I  shall  be 
in  Petersburg.  .  .  .  God  bless  you  and  children.  Give 
each  one  love  and  kisses.  My  head  is  growling  a  little. 
For  miles  around  I  see  sheets  of  snow,  birches,  the  sunset 
— beautiful  clear  winter  weather.  To-morrow  I  shall  sleep 
all  day  long.     Farewell.        Your  most  faithful        V.  B. 

Forgive  this  confused  letter,  but  I  have  been  five  nights 
out  of  bed,  and  now  the  sixth. 

318 


1859]      THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK 

Petersburg,  March  29,  '59. 
MY  DEAR  HEART,— With  God's  help  1  have  arrived 
here  safely,  stopping  for  the  present  at  the  Hotel  Demuth, 
and  I  have  suddenly  grown  twelve  days  younger,  for  they 
date  here  the  17th.  Through  incorrect  translation  into 
Russian  of  my  Pskov  despatch,  it  failed  of  its  purpose; 
and  this  morning  early,  at  five,  after  I  had  left  Engel  and 
the  conductor  with  our  wagon  and  baggage,  I  found  myself 
face  to  face  with  the  driver  and  the  hostler  of  the  hotel,  and 
thrown  upon  the  Russian  that  I  had  managed  to  learn  en 
route.  My  magic  formula,  " Pruski  paslaunik,"  extracted 
only  the  reply  that  he  did  not  live  there;  but  when  I 
said,  "  Jassam "  ("  1  myself  am  he ")  the  Russian  became 
wide-awake,  and  ran  to  get  various  people  with  barbarous 
names ;  but  even  they  spoke  none  of  the  Western  languages. 
But  I  am  tolerably  well  fixed  here  now,  and  although  the 
"German  servant"  is  ill,  I  was  able  to  get  washed,  to 
breakfast,  and  drive  to  the  legation.  You  see  I  have  trav- 
elled continually  from  Wednesday  evening  until  this  morn- 
ing (Tuesday).  In  summer  they  tell  me  it  is  a  trip  of 
sixty  hours  to  Konigsberg,  but  now  it  has  been  a  hundred 
and  eight.  I  have  come  out  of  it  splendidly.  The  railway 
coupes  are  much  better  than  ours,  and  heated.  1  slept 
eight  hours  as  if  I  were  in  bed,  and  now  need  no  more  rest. 
When  you  write  to  me,  bear  in  mind  that  all  foreign  letters 
are  opened,  and  that  this  is  generally  known.  So  don't 
scold  about  anything,  for  it  is  taken  for  granted  that  one 
means  to  say  to  the  government  what  is  written  by  mail. 
A  traveller  will  take  these  lines  along  with  him;  nolxxlv 
knows  how  long  they  will  1x3  stuck  in  the  snow ;  do  not  be 
anxious  and  impatient  if  you  are  a  long  time  without  news. 
It's  thawing  here  to-day,  but  barely  so.  My  head  is  still 
full  of  post-houses  and  verst-posts,  and  the  ringing  of  the 

319 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK      [Apr. 

horses'  bells,  the  screaming  of  the  postilions,  and  the  out- 
rider's eternal  "  Pravee — i  verr titer,  skarree,  i,  skarreeee — i!" 
and  the  blinding  snow  and  wind,  and  the  poor  horses  that 
were  so  willing  to  gallop  when  the  wheels  would  only  go 
round.  A  "  kareta  potschtowaja"  stood  on  top,  and  a  ram- 
shackle affair  it  was,  a  thing  like  a  house,  and  packed  so 
high  that  we  brushed  the  highest  lintels.  With  this  mon- 
ster the  people  drove  not  only  at  a  gallop,  but  at  full  speed, 
with  six  and  eight  horses,  two  or  three  miles  at  a  time; 
with  us  it  is  forbidden  to  drive  rapidly  down  hill  or  over 
bridges,  but  in  Russia  the  gallop  seems  to  be  prescribed  in 
both  cases,  even  where  it  is  very  steep  and  the  horses  have 
just  fallen.  But,  after  all,  it  was  amusing — if  1  only  did 
not  have  to  do  it  right  over  again.  Perhaps  you  would 
like  it  in  summer — or  wouldn't  you?  About  every  fifty 
miles  the  Czar  has  resting-quarters  in  a  post-station ;  and 
there  everything  is  very  comfortably  arranged,  and  you 
would  be  allowed  to  use  them  as  well  as  I. 

Farewell,  my  angel.     I  must  be  off  now  to  Gortchakoff. 
Love  to  the  children.  Your  very  loving  V.  B. 


Petersburg,  April  i,  '59. 
My  DEAR  HEART, — How  nice  it  was  to  be   wakened 
this  morning  by  the  letter  from  you  and  the  children !    For 
half  an  hour  1  managed  to  forget  that  fifteen  hundred  miles 
lie  between  us. 

4th. 
1  wrote  these  few  lines  on  my  birthday;  then  busi- 
ness interfered.  It  is  singular  that  1  have  taken  up  my 
office  just  on  the  1st  of  April,  for  it  was  on  the  same 
day  that  1  had  my  first  audience  with  the  Czar,  which  his 
amiable  manner  made  really  a   birthday  present.     Then 

320 


1859]      THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

1  drank  to  your  health  a  bottle  of  Rhine  wine,  and  one  of 
champagne,  with  Kliiber,  all  for  seven  rubles;  but  we 
enjoyed  it  immensely.  1  wanted  to  write  you  a  long  letter, 
my  beloved,  and  now  1  must  scribble  in  great  haste;  yet 
there  is  no  one  1  want  so  much  to  write  to.  On  April  1st 
(13th)  1  shall  have  another  birthday  here,  just  coinciding 
with  your  dear  one.  The  Neva  stands  like  granite,  and 
bears  loaded  wagons,  and  street-lamps  stand  on  the  ice  at 
the  crossings.  Kiss  the  children  for  me.  Be  always  my 
dearest.     God  be  with  you. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Petersburg,  April  4,  '59. 

MY  DEAR  HEART, — Now  that  the  rush  of  to-day  noon 
is  past,  1  sit  down  in  the  evening  to  write  you  a  few  more 
lines  in  peace.  When  1  closed  my  letter  to-day  1  did  it  with 
the  intention  of  writing  to  you  next  a  birthday  letter,  and 
thought  1  had  plenty  of  time  for  it;  it  is  only  the  23d  of 
March  here.  1  have  thought  it  over,  and  find  that  a  letter 
must  go  out  to-day  exactly  to  reach  Frankfort  on  the  nth; 
it  is  hard  to  get  used  to  the  seven  days'  interval  which  the 
post  needs.  So  1  hurry  my  congratulations.  May  God 
grant  you  His  rich  blessing  in  soul  and  body,  for  all  your 
love  and  truth,  and  give  you  resignation  and  contentment 
in  regard  to  the  various  new  conditions  of  life,  contrary  to 
your  inclinations,  which  you  will  meet  here.  We  cannot 
get  rid  of  the  sixtieth  degree  of  latitude,  and  we  have  not 
chosen  our  own  lot.  Many  live  happily  here,  although 
the  ice  is  still  solid  as  rock,  and  more  snow  fell  in  the  night, 
and  there  is  no  garden  and  no  Taunus  here. 

1  could  get  along  very  well  indeed  here  if  1  only  knew 
the  same  of  you,  and,  above  all,  if  1  had  you  with  me.  All 
X  321 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS  OF  BISMARCK      [Apr. 

official  matters — and  in  them  rests  really  the  calling  which 
in  this  world  has  fallen  to  my  lot,  and  which  you,  through 
your  significant  "Yes"  in  the  Kolziglow  church,  are 
bound  to  help  bear  in  joy  and  sorrow — all  official  matters 
are,  in  comparison  with  Frankfort,  changed  from  thorns 
to  roses;  whether  they  will  ever  blossom  is,  indeed,  un- 
certain. The  aggravations  of  the  Diet  and  the  palace 
venom  look  from  here  like  childishness.  If  we  do  not 
wantonly  make  ourselves  disagreeable,  we  are  welcome 
here.  Whenever  the  carriages  are  called  here,  and  "  Prus- 
ku  passlanika"  ("Prussian  carriage")  is  cried  out  among 
those  waiting,  then  all  the  Russians  look  about  with  pleas- 
ant smiles,  as  though  they  had  just  popped  down  a  ninety- 
degree  glass  of  schnapps.  There  is  some  social  affair  every 
evening,  and  the  people  different  from  those  in  Frankfort. 
Your  aversion  to  court  life  will  weaken.  You  cannot  fail 
to  like  the  Czar;  you  have  seen  him  already — have  you 
not?  He  is  extremely  gracious  to  me,  as  well  as  the  Czar- 
ina—  the  young  Czarina,  1  mean.  And  it  is  easy  to  get 
along  with  the  mother,  in  spite  of  her  imposing  presence. 
1  dined  with  her  to-day  with  the  Meiendorfs  and  Loen,*  and 
it  was  just  like  that  dinner  at  our  house  with  Prince  Carl 
and  the  Princess  Anna,  when  we  enjoyed  ourselves  so 
much.  In  short,  only  take  courage,  and  things  will  come 
out  all  right.  So  far  1  have  only  agreeable  impressions; 
the  only  thing  that  provokes  me  is  that  smoking  is  not  al- 
lowed on  the  street.  One  can  have  no  idea  in  what  dis- 
favor the  Austrians  are  over  here;  a  mangy  dog  will  not 
take  a  piece  of  meat  from  them.  1  am  sorry  for  poor  Szech- 
enyi;  1  do  not  dislike  him.  They  will  either  drive  things 
to  a  war  from  here,  or  let  it  come,  and  then  they  will  stick 

*  Military  charge. 
322 


1859J       THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

the  bayonet  into  the  Austrians'  backs;  however  peacefully 
people  talk,  and  however  1  try  to  soften  things  down,  as 
my  duty  demands,  the  hatred  is  unlimited,  and  goes  be- 
yond all  my  expectations.  Since  coming  here  1  begin  to 
believe  in  war.  There  seems  to  be  no  room  in  Russian 
politics  for  any  other  thought  than  how  to  strike  at  Austria. 
Even  the  quiet,  mild  Czar  falls  into  rage  and  fire  whenever 
he  talks  about  it,  as  does  the  Czarina,  although  a  Darm- 
stadt Princess;  and  it  is  touching  when  the  Dowager 
Czarina  talks  of  her  husband's  broken  heart,  and  of  Francis 
Joseph,  whom  he  loved  as  a  son,  really  without  anger,  but 
as  if  speaking  of  one  who  is  exposed  to  God's  vengeance. 
Now  1  have  still  much  to  write  for  the  carrier  to-morrow, 
and  this  you  will  not  receive,  1  suppose,  until  two  days 
after  your  dear  birthday,  just  when  1  am  celebrating  mine 
by  the  calendar  here.  Farewell,  my  dear,  and  give  each 
child  a  sweet  orange  from  me.     Love  to  all. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B, 


Petersburg,  April  8,  '59. 
DEAR  PARENTS, — The  loss  of  the  letter  was  an  ad- 
vantage to  me,  for  in  this  way  1  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
the  Zuckers  post-mark  two  days  in  succession;  the  lost 
one  came  to-day,  the  other  yesterday.  The  tokens  of  your 
love  cannot  tell  me  anything  that  had  not  already  reached 
me  in  embodied  form.  And  yet  my  delight  in  them  is  al- 
ways new,  and  the  home-note  does  me  twice  as  much  good 
here  amid  the  strange  din  in  a  foreign  land.  1  heartily 
thank  God  and  yourselves  for  the  love  and  truth  which  1 
know  is  in  your  hearts,  and  of  which  1  am  sure  until  our 
earthly  end,  and,  if  God  will,  beyond.  1  have  good  news 
of  Johanna  and  the  children — one  letter  just  on    the  1st, 

323 


THE   LOVE    LETTERS    OF    BISMARCK      [Apr. 

and  one  since,  written  on  the  1st.  I  want  for  nothing 
here,  except  her  presence — then  I  shall  be  able  to  endure 
God's  long  winter;  there  are  even  Laplanders,  with  lung 
trouble,  who  come  here  to  seek  recovery  in  the  milder  cli- 
mate. 1  left  Berlin  Wednesday  evening,  and  reached 
here  early  on  Tuesday;  the  first  and  the  last  night  (from 
Pskov)  by  railway,  but  all  the  time  between  I  slept  only 
six  or  seven  hours  on  stage- seats.  Now  the  snow  was 
deep  as  sand-dunes,  and  now  there  was  none.  At  many 
stations  horses  were  lacking,  as  all  coaches  needed  twice 
or  three  times  as  many  as  usual;  crossing  half-frozen 
rivers  at  night;  slippery,  steep  mountains,  where  the 
horses  were  worn-out  going  up,  and  kept  falling  on  the 
way  down.  You  would  not  have  liked  it,  dear  mother, 
when  the  horses,  eight  in  number,  after  lying  in  a  snarl 
one  upon  another,  had  hardly  been  harnessed  again,  be- 
fore, with  the  heavy  and  high -packed  wagon,  they  went 
tearing  at  full  gallop  down  the  mountain  into  the  night. 
Now  and  then  we  walked,  because  the  coach  stuck  fast  in 
the  snow-drifts.  Thus  it  happened  that  it  took  us  the 
entire  time  from  Thursday  afternoon  to  Monday  evening 
to  travel  about  five  hundred  miles,  from  Konigsberg  to 
Pskov,  without  stopping  anywhere  for  the  night.  At 
Pskov  we  were  caught  up  by  the  exceedingly  well-ap- 
pointed railroad  coupe,  in  which  I  slept  nine  hours  without 
stirring,  and  was  wakened  only  with  difficulty  here  at  the 
station  early  on  Tuesday.  I  am  very  glad  to  have  taken 
this  trip;  1  shall  hardly  repeat  the  experience,  since  the 
rapid  progress  of  the  railway  is  yearly  reducing  the  stretch 
of  road  without  one. 

The  weather  has  been  changeable  since  I  came,  with 
moderate  temperature,  between  clear  frost,  snow,  and  mud  ; 
the  Neva  still  stands  stable,  yet  it  seems  closed  to  wagon 

324 


1859]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS  OF  BISMARCK 

traffic  to-day;  at  any  rate,  I  saw  only  foot  passengers  on 
the  ice.  You,  my  dear  father,  1  want  to  thank  for  thinking 
kindly  of  my  fondness  for  rearing  forest  trees.  May 
our  grandchildren  find  God's  blessing  in  their  shade. 
Johanna  writes  constantly  very  dear  letters ;  to-day  one  of 
Herbert's  came  with  hers.  God  be  praised  that  they  are 
all  well,  and  may  He,  dear  parents,  grant  the  same  to  you. 
Somewhere  about  the  time  of  the  Fete  of  St.  John  I  shall 
probably  take  Johanna  away  from  you,  if  it  is  God's  will. 
With  hearty  love,  the  true  son  of  you  both,  V.  B. 

Petersburg,  April  19,  '59. 
Your  account  of  spring  colors  and  sounds  has  made  me 
right  homesick ;  1  have  been  feeling  badly  about  it  all  day, 
and  1  have  just  now,  before  sunset,  taken  a  good  look  again 
at  the  Neva  ice,  to  see  whether  it  will  not  be  kind  enough 
to  go  soon ;  it  is  already  grayish-black,  which  they  say  is 
a  good  sign.  But  the  sea  of  houses,  the  ice  of  stone  will 
not  melt.  For  three  weeks  1  have  seen  only  stone  and  ice ; 
either  the  city  has  no  gates,  or  they  are  inaccessible.  That 
is  an  extra  reason  for  my  preference  for  the  Stenbach  house, 
which  stands  right  by  the  large  Neva  bridge  leading  to  the 
islands.  1  felt  quite  sorrowful  when  I  saw  from  there 
something  like  forest  or  hills  glistening  on  the  horizon 
far  over  the  water.  1  have  not  seen  God's  earth  since 
Kobbelbade,  the  last  station  before  Konigsberg;  there 
it  began  to  snow  the  24th  of  March.  1  drive  out  to  make 
calls  every  day,  and  still  do  not  get  through,  in  this  city, 
so  many  miles  wide.  In  doing  this  1  never  learn  my  way 
around,  looking  out  of  the  closed  coupe;  the  houses  have 
no  numbers,  and  I  cannot  find  any  of  my  acquaintances 
again  without  a  coachman.  Then  the  order  is,  "DemidofT 
house,  on    Nevski   Prospekt,"   but  Nevski  has  certainly 

325 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK      [Apr. 

two  hundred  houses;  then  let's  see  you  pick  out  Demi- 
doff 's!  My  guides  are  the  merchants'  signs,  especially 
the  Russian  forms,  under  which  one  is  touched  to  decipher 
the  names  Schulze,  Miiller,  and  Schmidt.  To-day  I  dis- 
covered Jager,  too,  and  your  mother's  friend  Hanoschke, 
really  Ganoschke,  for  there  is  no  H  at  all.  Just  respectable 
citizens  of  Berlin  under  the  frizzled  beard  of  the  Muscovite 
hieroglyphics.  This  week,  much  to  my  delight,  calling 
stops,  on  fait  ses  devotions,  piety  is  all  the  fashion,  and  no 
calls  are  received.  Towards  dinner-time  I  am  glad  to  rest 
half  an  hour  from  boredom  at  the  Princess  Obolenski's; 
she  is  so  attractive  that  I  ask  for  your  indulgence  to  do 
homage  to  her  now  and  then ;  she  goes  to  Moscow  to-mor- 
row. I  have  found  many  lovely  women  besides.  A  right 
pretty  Frau  von  Korssakoff  has  already  gone — she,  too, 
to  Moscow.  Our  politics  put  me  out  of  humor;  we  are 
only  driftwood,  blown  about  without  object  on  our  own 
waters  by  strange  winds;  and  what  mean  winds,  and  ill- 
smelling  !  But  how  seldom  people  have  any  wills  of 
their  own  in  so  estimable  a  nation  as  ours.  We  like  the 
role  of  Leporello,  and  Austria  that  of  Don  Juan. 

I  have  an  idea  I  advised  you  to  sell  the  old  bronze  chan- 
deliers; you  had  better  not  do  it,  if  they  are  not  already 
sold.  .  .  .  Yesterday,  at  the  house  of  the  Spanish  Duke  of 
Ossuna,  1  saw  some  bronzes  beside  which  our  poorest 
could  hold  their  own ;  the  metal  seems  to  be  very  dear  here. 
This  grandee  showed  us,  besides,  photographs  of  all  pos- 
sible fine  castles  and  gardens  which  he  owns  in  Spain, 
Italy,  Belgium,  and  Sardinia,  and  which  he  himself  knows 
only  through  the  pictures.  He  has  an  income  of  mill- 
ions, the  biggest  name  in  Spain,  and  lives  here  on  the 
frozen  Neva,  lonely  and  unmarried,  in  a  vast,  rambling 
house,  worth  twelve  thousand  rix-dollars  rent,  furnished, 

326 


1859]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

and   has    no    longing    for    the    shade    of    his    chestnut 
forests.  .  .  . 

April  20th. 
The  Neva  is  just  breaking  up.  As  usual,  Gortsch 
served  me  with  a  summons,  and  afterwards  1  went  to 
take  a  look.  Thank  Heaven  !  Farewell.  1  must  hurry  to 
catch  the  mail.  1  have  had  to  write  ciphers  and  telegrams 
for  some  hours.  May  everything  dear  and  good  be  yours 
and  the  children's  ! 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

Petersburg,  April  28,  '59. 
My  HEART, — Three  days  and  three  nights  I  have  writ- 
ten, and  not  to  you !  The  chasseur  is  fumbling  mustachios 
and  sword  in  his  impatience ;  but  two  words  to  you  he  must 
take  along,  nevertheless.  1  am  well,  somewhat  over- 
worked. 1  have  taken  a  house  for  a  year,  Stenbock,  of 
which  you  have  a  drawing.  .  .  .  War,  then  (though  not 
quite  as  yet) ;  Austria  has  granted  two  days  more,  but  the 
troops  are  marching,  and  now  perhaps  they  are  firing  on 
each  other.  As  God  wills.  To-day,  with  Czar  and  parade, 
we  buried — or,  rather,  celebrated  the  funeral  rites  of  one  old 
Prince  Hohenlohe.  1  stayed  with  Gortschakoff  in  the 
church,  with  its  black  hangings,  after  everybody  went  out, 
and  sat  on  the  catafalque  and  velvet  death's-head  cover, 
talking  politics — that  is,  working  over  them,  not  just  chat- 
ting. The  preacher  had  talked  of  the  psalm  about  life's 
transitoriness  (grass  withered  by  the  wind),  and  we  planned 
and  plotted  as  though  one  were  never  going  to  die.  He  is 
fumbling  again.  A  thousand  greetings,  and  luck  to  your 
trip;  if  not  before  the  4th,  then  this  will  find  you  still  in 
Frankfort.     Kiss  the  children  and  all. 

Your  most  Faithful. 
327 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [May, 
ZARSKOE-SELO,  May  5,  '59. 

MY  DEAR  HEART ! — I  have  wanted  every  day  to  write 
you  so  as  to  greet  you  in  Berlin ;  but  it  is  again  almost  time 
for  the  chasseur  to  start;  I  dictate  to  Kliiber  from  break- 
fast until  four  o'clock ;  then  I  take  a  walk ;  in  the  evening 
I  do  nothing  more,  because  it  tires  my  eyes;  the  evening 
does  not  begin,  however,  until  after  nine;  until  then  one 
can  see  without  a  light.  With  three  cipher  despatches  that 
come  and  three  that  go,  we  never  pass  a  day  independent  of 
dictation.  In  short,  I  am  glad  to  find  this  free  moment  here 
in  the  Petersburg  Potsdam,  where  I  have  arrived  at  the 
anniversary  reception  of  the  Dowager  Czarina's  baptism 
at  eleven  o'clock,  and  am  not  needed  until  after  twelve. 
I  am  sitting  in  a  very  stately  room,  with  ladies'  knick- 
knacks  of  the  time  of  Alexander  I. ;  before  me  a  garden 
laid  out  in  straight  lines,  with  fine  leafless  lindens,  sun- 
shine, and  some  beautiful  plastering  of  snow  on  the  grass- 
plots,  which  fell  freshly  yesterday.  Kliiber  is  walking 
to  and  fro  behind  me,  unhappy  over  the  wrinkling  and 
riding-up  of  his  lace-trimmed  breeches.  I  am  smoking 
paper  cigars  and  using  all  sorts  of  agate  and  bronze 
knick-knacks  as  ash-receivers,  in  my  favorite  way.  This 
morning  early  I  received  your  last  Frankfort  letter,  full  of 
woe  at  parting  from  birds,  flowers,  and  people.  What  good 
does  bothering  and  pothering  do?  What  must  be,  must 
be.  .  .  .  Now  it  is  getting  to  be  time  for  me  to  wash  away 
this  tobacco  smell,  for  it  will  probably  cling  about  my 
uniform.  Her  Majesty,  the  Czarina  mamma,  does  not 
like  it  at  all,  so  1  will  do  what  1  can  with  eau  de  cologne 
and  finish  these  lines  in  Petersburg.  I  shall  probably  not 
get  back  there  before  evening. 


1859J      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

Petersburg,  May  6,  '59. 
1  did  come  earlier,  after  all,  because  1  cut  the  Marshal's 
table,  ate  at  Versen's  (husband  of  Elise  Rauch)  a  good 
and  lively  dinner,  was  at  Mr.  Pickens's  in  the  evening, 
the  American  ambassador,  a  real  Pickwick,  exceedingly 
funny,  but  hardly  amusing.  This  morning  1  wrote  a  let- 
ter to  Alvensleben,  then  the  parade,  about  forty  thousand 
men,  Circassians,  Georgians,  Tartars,  all  possible  queer  peo- 
ples. The  whole  thing  lasted  nearly  three  hours,  dust  and 
cold  wind,  otherwise  clear  weather ;  the  Czar  devoted  him- 
self to  me  as  particularly  as  though  he  had  got  up  the 
parade  for  my  benefit.  As  they  marched  by  he  took  me 
forward  to  a  place  beside  him,  and  explained  to  me  every 
separate  troop,  and  where  they  stood  and  recruited,  and 
who  commanded  them.  .  .  .  Farewell,  my  dear  heart ;  I 
must  dress.  We  are  three  hundred  and  ninety  miles  nearer 
to  each  other,  anyway.  To  see  the  Neva,  with  its  boat 
traffic,  is  a  pleasure  that  I  am  looking  forward  to  for  the 
children ;  we  have  it  under  the  window ;  the  Stettin  steam- 
ers moor  there,  too.  Love  to  Oscar,  Malle,  children,  and 
write  how  you  feel  about  the  life  at  court.  .  .  .  Kiss  all  the 
children,  and  give  them  sweet  oranges  for  me. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Petersburg,  May  7,  '59. 
MY  DEAR  HEART, — In  the  courier-and-parade  hurry- 
scurry  of  yesterday  I  did  not  say  a  single  word  about  how 
I  enjoyed  the  children's  picture,  though  it  lay  right  before 
me;  but  it  did  not  seem  to  occur  to  me  that  it  was  anything 
unusual;  I  thought  I  had  had  it  for  years.  It  is  splendid, 
and  1  must  praise  all  three  especially  for  keeping  so  still — 
the  two  older  ones  even  their  eyes.     Yesterday  my  head 

329 


THE    LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK     [May, 

was  so  full  of  war  and  peace,  Circassians,  Cossacks,  Tar- 
tars, grand  princes,  and  chasseurs,  that  it  is  only  to-day, 
after  sleeping  myself  out,  that  I  can  collect  my  thoughts. 
I  dreamed  in  the  night  of  bedsteads  with  high  legs,  short 
and  with  white  stripes!  In  free  moments  my  thoughts 
are  entirely  with  your  journey  and  with  our  house  arrange- 
ments. .  .  .  You  must  break  up  at  Reinfeld  by  the  time  of 
the  Fete  of  St.  John  at  latest,  for  I  should  like  to  have  you 
here  by  the  1st  of  August,  so  the  children  can  get  acclimated 
before  the  cold  nights  come.  ...  It  is  hard  to  make  use  of 
more  than  one  servant  here  who  does  not  speak  Russian. 
In  the  salons  hardly  a  word  but  French  is  heard,  but  as 
soon  as  one  sets  foot  over  the  threshold  one  is  flooded  with 
foreign  tones,  and  rarely  finds  anybody  who  understands 
a  syllable  of  German,  and  still  less  French. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Petersburg,  May  14,  '59. 
MY  BELOVED  HEART,— Thank  Heaven  your  letter  of 
the  6th  arrived  yesterday;  I  had  begun  to  feel  anxious, 
since  I  could  not  find  in  the  Kreuz  Zeitung  news  of  your 
arrival  in  Berlin,  and  still  supposed  that  you  had  started  on 
the  3d.  How  sorry  I  am  for  you  about  all  the  bother  of 
packing  and  sending  things  off,  and  about  the  donkeys 
that  have  made  things  hard  for  you,  besides.  You  shall 
now  get  thoroughly  rested  from  all  that  and  pick  up  again. 
.  .  .  Please  write  me  in  greatest  haste  in  what  form  my 
second  telegraphic  despatch  reached  you  three  weeks  ago 
— not  the  birthday  one,  but  the  following,  for  which  I 
had  to  pay  eight  rubles  and  divers  kopecks,  in  order  to 
tell  you  not  to  buy  anything,  consequently  no  carved  fur- 
niture, and  now  I  see  from  your  letter  that  I  owe  it  entirely 

330 


1859]       THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

to  your  mother-wit  that  we  have  not  acquired  this  embarras 
de  richesse!  Do  send  me  the  despatch  in  the  original,  if 
you,  by  any  chance,  have  it  at  hand,  so  that  I  can  teach  the 
telegraphers  here  their  manners  or  recover  my  money.  .  .  . 
A  right  joyful  surprise  was  your  photo,  a  bit  strained, 
thinking  of  packing  and  visits,  but  still  your  dear  face, 
not  seen  for  three  months.  The  one  hundred  and  thirty 
calls  were  an  excess  of  virtue.  .  .  . 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

I  had  something  I  wanted  to  add  in  closing,  but  in  the 
hubbub  it  has  escaped  me,  and  I  cannot  remember,  ex- 
cept that  I  wanted  to  tell  you  something  very  nice. 


PETERSBURG,  Monday,  May  16,  '59. 
...  If  you  have  really,  by  early  this  morning,  made 
some  progress  towards  Schonhausen,  then  I  shall  begin  to 
believe  in  dreams;  just  before  waking,  somewhat  late,  I 
had  quite  a  vivid  dream  that  you  embraced,  in  a  lively 
and  affectionate  fashion,  a  woman  at  Schonhausen,  who 
was  dressed  in  the  costume  of  the  place.  ...  I  already 
have  my  third  coachman.  The  people  drink  so  that  one 
cannot  trust  one's  own  horses  to  them.  They  are  exem- 
plarily  virtuous  for  thirteen  days  out  of  fourteen,  and  then 
one  finds  them,  when  waiting  for  a  carriage,  lying  as  if 
dead  under  the  horses,  head  in  the  water-bucket,  quite 
useless  for  the  day.  ...  It  does  not  get  dark  at  all  any 
more — towards  twelve  still  a  sunset  sky;  to-day  I  came 
home  early  towards  one,  and  the  morning  light  was  al- 
ready full  rosy,  with  twilight  in  the  streets.  ...  It  is  fort- 
unate that  1  have  lots  of  work,  always  something  to  do, 
always  in  a  hurry,  writing  or  company  or  hunting;  other- 

331 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS  OF  BISMARCK   [May, 

wise  the  feeling  of  loneliness  in  this  hotel  asylum  would 
have  long  ago  made  me  sick  with  yearning.  .  .  .  Much 
love  and  God's  blessing.  By  all  means  let  the  children 
go  to  Schonhausen. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Petersburg,  May  28,  '59. 
My  DEAR  HEART, —  .  .  .  The  spring  came  on  here 
like  an  explosion.  In  forty-eight  hours,  from  the  con- 
dition of  budding  twigs  to  that  of  a  thick  green  curtain.  It 
is  very  hot  now,  with  occasional  storms,  and  I  have  no 
summer  stuff  with  me,  also  no  beds  and  no  cooking  uten- 
sils, and  must  move  into  Stenbock's  in  two  weeks,  where 
both  are  lacking.  What  could  I  buy  of  that  sort  of  thing 
that  would  not  be  superfluous  afterwards?  Bedsteads 
are  there,  cook,  too,  but  copper  and  linen  and  beds!  I 
should  have  cried  out  before  about  my  need  of  these  things, 
but  where  was  my  letter  to  find  you?  You  woman  with- 
out a  date!  The  things  will  hardly  come  before  Jul}7,  as 
I  have  as  yet  had  no  notice  at  all  from  Rotterdam  of  their 
arrival  there.  Farewell — heartily  well.  Boat  will  not  wait. 
Lots  of  love,  parents  and  children. 

Your  V.  B. 

Petersburg,  May  31,  '59. 
(No  letter  on  June  1st  either.) 

MY  DEAR  HEART, — Since  finding  that  the  mail-boat 
that  has  just  come  in,  too,  brings  no  letter  from  you,  I 
feel  quite  downcast,  and  shall  be  ill  if  you  keep  on  forget- 
ting me  this  way  in  my  hot  and  lonely  hotel  room.  In  the 
entire  month  of  May  I  had  two  letters  from  you,  the  first 
from  Frankfort,  just  at  the  beginning,  the  other  long  one 

332 


1859]      THE  LOVE    LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

from  Berlin  on  the  18th;  and  this  boat  brings  everything 
that  could  leave  Stettin  up  to  the  evening  of  the  28th.  I 
do  not  even  know  whether  you  are  in  Berlin,  or  where  else, 
as  your  last  letter  contained  nothing  about  plans  for  trav- 
elling or  stopping,  and  I  wanted  so  very,  very  much  to  fol- 
low you  on  your  way  with  my  thoughts,  and  to  be  able  to 
write  to  you  at  definite  places.  I  know  very  well  that  it  is 
hard  to  find  time  to  write  when  one  is  travelling,  or  when 
one  is  finding  old  Pomeranian  friends  again,  but  surely  I 
might  be  allowed  a  couple  of  lines  during  the  week.  If  I 
were  not  to  write  at  all,  as  long  as  I  was  in  a  hurry  and  rush, 
then  you  would  have  had  no  letter  from  me  since  Berlin. 
Think  how  much  it  meant  to  you  to  receive  a  few  hasty 
lines  of  news  from  me  from  any  one  of  the  stations  on  my 
way,  and  then  consider  how  much  lonelier  and  more  in  need 
of  news  I  am  here,  in  comparison  with  you ;  you  had  chil- 
dren and  the  Beckers  and  Arnims,  and  I  don't  know  whom 
besides,  while  I  sit  the  entire  day  at  my  desk,  or  with  people 
who  do  not  understand  German,  and  from  nine  to  eleven 
in  the  evening  I  ride,  chiefly  alone,  rarely  with  Kliiber. 
When  I  have  not  dined  with  him,  we  seldom  come  togeth- 
er again  in  the  evening.  It  does  not  get  dark  any  more  at 
all ;  when  going  out  into  company  at  eleven  one  can  read 
in  the  open  air,  and  it  is  the  same  thing  returning  home- 
ward at  one  o'clock  through  the  still  inhabited  streets.  I 
hardly  go  to  bed  before  three,  and  then  it  is  like  day.  .  .  . 
The  heat  is  oppressive — ioo°  to  1200  in  the  sun;  I  never 
get  into  the  shade,  as  I  have  the  sunny  side,  and  when  I 
drive  in  an  open  carriage,  I  cannot  look  out  for  shade.  Dust 
and  great  drought ;  everything  longs  for  rain.  Agreeable 
acquaintances  are  leaving,  more  and  more.  .  .  .  Farewell, 
my  beloved  one.  Love  to  all.  And  do  not  worry  me  any 
longer  with  lack  of  news.         Your  most  faithful        V.  B. 

333 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK     [June, 

Petersburg,  June  4,  '59. 
MY  DEAR  HEART, — At  last,  day  before  yesterday, 
came  the  long-yearned-for  news  from  you,  with  the  reas- 
suring post-mark,  Stolp.  I  could  not  go  to  sleep  at  all  in 
the  evening,  because  of  anxious  pictures  of  my  imagina- 
tion, whose  scenes  were  all  the  stopping-places  between  Ber- 
lin and  Reinfeld.  .  .  .  Yesterday  I  dined  at  the  Czarina's, 
in  Zarske,  where  I  found  the  Grand  Princess  Marie,  who 
could  tell  me  at  least  that  she  had  seen  you  in  Berlin,  and 
that  you  were  all  right.  On  the  way  back  the  Czar  met 
me  at  the  station,  and  took  me  into  his  coupe — very  con- 
spicuous here  for  a  civilian  with  such  an  old  hat  as  I  gen- 
erally wear.  In  the  evening  I  was,  of  course,  on  the  islands, 
on  a  lively  dark  -  brown  horse,  and  drank  tea  there  with 
a  nice,  old,  white-haired  Countess  StroganofT.  The  lilac,  I 
must  tell  you,  has  flowered  here  as  beautifully  as  in  Frank- 
fort, and  the  laburnum,  too;  and  the  nightingales  warble 
so  happily  that  it  is  hard  to  find  a  spot  on  the  islands  where 
one  does  not  hear  them.  In  the  city,  during  these  daj^s,  we 
had  such  unremitting  heat  as  we  almost  never  have  at 
home.  The  captain  of  the  Eagle  told  me  that  the  tem- 
perature in  southern  Pomerania  was  actually  refreshing 
in  comparison;  with  such  short  nights,  too,  the  morning 
brings  no  real  coolness,  and  I  could  ride  or  drive  about  for 
hours  in  the  mysterious  gloaming  which  hovers  at  mid- 
night over  the  surface  of  the  water,  if  the  increasing  bright- 
ness did  not  give  warning  that  another  day  is  waiting 
with  its  work  and  care,  and  that  sleep  demands  its  rights 
beforehand.  Since  I  have  had  the  drosky,  in  which 
there  is  too  little  room  for  an  interpreter,  I  am  making,  to 
the  smirking  delight  of  Dmitri,  the  coachman,  progress  in 
Russian,  since  there  is  nothing  left  for  me  to  do  but  to 
speak  it  tant  bien  que  nial.     I  am  sorry  that  you  have  not 

334 


1859]      THE   LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK 

been  able  to  watch  with  me  the  sudden  awakening  of  spring 
here;  as  if  it  had  suddenly  occurred  to  her  that  she  had 
overslept  her  time,  she  is  putting  on,  in  twenty-four  hours, 
her  entire  green  dress,  from  head  to  foot.  .  .  .  This  whole 
preparation  for  war  is  somewhat  premature,  and  is  caus- 
ing us  unnecessary  expense.  I  hope  we  shall  come  to  our 
senses  finally  before  setting  all  Europe  on  fire,  for  the  sake 
of  obliging  some  little  princes,  and,  at  our  own  cost,  help- 
ing Austria  in  glory  out  of  her  embarrassment.  We  cannot 
allow  Austria  either  to  be  annihilated  or,  through  brilliant 
victory,  to  be  strengthened  in  her  feeling  of  self-confidence 
and  to  make  us  the  footstool  of  her  greatness.  But  there 
is  plenty  of  time  for  either  case  before  we  take  the  plunge, 
and  many  a  piece  of  Lombard  water  can  be  dyed  red,  for 
things  will  not  go  forward  so  easily  as  hitherto  when  the 
Austrians  have  once  placed  themselves  in  their  line  of 
forts,  as  they  should  have  done  at  the  first.  .  .  . 

It  is  a  misfortune  that  I  always  write  to  you  in  a  steam- 
ing hurry;  now  the  foxy  face  of  the  chancery  servant, 
who  is  in  the  police  pay,  besides,  is  before  me  again  al- 
ready, and  is  hurrying  me  up,  and  everything  1  wanted 
to  say  is  shrivelling  before  the  fellow,  who  is  useful,  how- 
ever. I  was  just  thinking  of  much  more  that  I  wanted  to 
write,  and  now  I  do  not  know  anything  except  that  I  should 
like  to  beat  him.  ...  In  the  greatest  love, 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


MOSCOW,  June  6,  '59. 

A  sign  of  life,  at  least,  I  want  to  send  you  from  here,  my 

dear,  while  I  am  waiting  for  the  samovar,  and  a  young 

Russian  in  a  red  shirt  is  struggling,  with  vain  attempts, 

to  light  a  fire;  he  blows  and  sighs,  but  it  will  not  burn. 

335 


THE    LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK    [June, 

After  complaining  so  much  before  about  the  scorching  heat 
I  waked  up  to-day  between  Twer  and  here,  and  thought 
I  was  dreaming  when  1  saw  the  land  and  its  fresh  green 
covered  far  and  wide  with  snow.  Nothing  surprises  me 
any  more,  so  when  I  could  no  longer  be  in  doubt  about  the 
fact,  I  turned  quietly  on  my  other  side  to  continue  sleeping 
and  rolling  on,  although  the  play  of  the  green-and-white 
colors  in  the  morning  red  was  not  without  charm.  I  do 
not  know  whether  the  snow  still  lies  about  Twer;  here  it 
is  all  melted,  and  a  cool,  gray  rain  is  drizzling  down  on  the 
sheet  of  roofs.  Russia  certainly  has  a  perfect  right  to 
claim  green  as  her  color.  Of  the  four  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  hither  I  slept  away  one  hundred  and  eighty,  but  of  the 
other  two  hundred  and  seventy  every  hand's  -  breadth 
was  green,  of  all  shades.  Cities  and  villages,  especially 
houses,  with  the  exception  of  the  stations,  1  did  not  notice ; 
bushy  forests,  chiefly  birches,  cover  swamps  and  hills, 
fine  growth  of  grass  under  them,  long  meadows  between. 
So  it  goes  for  fifty,  one  hundred,  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles.  I  don't  remember  to  have  noticed  any  fields, 
or  any  heather  or  sand;  lonely  grazing  cows  or  horses 
waken  in  one  now  and  then  the  conjecture  that  there  are 
people,  too,  in  the  neighborhood.  Moscow  looks  from 
above  like  a  corn-field,  the  soldiers  green,  the  furniture 
green,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  eggs  lying  before  me 
were  laid  by  green  hens.  You  will  want  to  know  how  I 
happen  to  be  here;  I  have  asked  myself  the  same  question, 
and  presently  received  the  answer  that  variety  is  the  spice 
of  life.  The  truth  of  this  profound  observation  is  es- 
pecially obvious  when  one  has  been  living  for  ten  weeks 
in  a  sunny  hotel-room,  looking  out  upon  stone  pavements. 
Besides,  one's  senses  become  somewhat  blunted  to  the 
joys  of  moving,  if  repeated  often  in  a  short  time,  so  I  de- 

336 


1859]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

termined  to  forego  these  same  pleasures,  handed  over  all 
papers  to  Kliiber,  gave  Engel  my  keys,  explained  that 
I  should  take  up  my  lodgings  in  the  Stenbock  house  in 
a  week,  and  rode  to  the  Moscow  station.  That  was  yes- 
terday, twelve  noon,  and  to-day  early,  at  eight,  I  alighted 
here  at  the  Hotel  de  France.  ...  It  lies  in  the  nature  of 
this  people  to  harness  slowly  and  drive  fast.  I  ordered 
my  carriage  two  hours  ago,  and  to  all  inquiries  which  I 
have  been  making  about  every  ten  minutes  during  the  last 
hour  and  a  half  they  say  (Russian),  "  Ssitschass,"  ("im- 
mediately "),  with  unshaken  and  amiable  calm,  but  there 
the  matter  ends.  You  know  my  exemplary  patience  in 
waiting,  but  everything  has  its  limits;  hunting  comes 
later,  and  horses  and  carriages  are  broken  in  the  bad  roads, 
so  that  one  finally  takes  to  walking.  While  writing  I  have 
drunk  three  glasses  of  tea  and  made  way  with  a  number 
of  eggs ;  the  attempts  at  heating  up  have  also  been  so  en- 
tirely successful  that  I  feel  the  need  of  getting  some  fresh 
air.  I  should  shave  myself  for  very  impatience  if  I  had  a 
mirror,  in  default  of  which,  however,  I  shall  send  a  greet- 
ing to  my  dear  Tata,  with  yesterday's  stubble  beard.  It  is 
very  virtuous  really  that  my  first  thought  is  always  of  you 
whenever  I  have  a  moment  free,  and  you  should  make  an 
example  of  that  fact.  Very  rambling  is  this  city,  and 
especially  foreign-looking,  with  its  churches  and  green 
roofs  and  countless  cupolas,  quite  different  from  Amster- 
dam, but  the  two  are  the  most  original  cities  that  I  know. 
Not  a  single  German  conductor  has  any  idea  of  the  lug- 
gage that  can  be  slipped  into  one  of  these  coupes;  not  a 
Russian  without  two  real,  covered  head-cushions,  chil- 
dren in  baskets,  and  masses  of  provisions  of  every  sort, 
although  they  eat  five  big  meals  at  the  stations  on  the 
way,  breakfast  at  two,  dinner  five,  tea  seven,  supper  ten; 
Y  337 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK     [June, 

it's  only  four,  to  be  sure,  but  enough  for  the  short  time. 
I  was  complimented  by  an  invitation  into  a  sleeping-coupe, 
where  1  was  worse  off  than  in  my  easy-chair ;  it  is  a  won- 
der to  me  that  so  much  fuss  is  made  over  one  night. 

MOSCOW,  June  8th. 
This  city  is  really,  for  a  city,  the  most  beautiful  and 
original  that  there  is;  the  environs  are  pleasant,  not 
pretty,  not  unsightly;  but  the  view  from  above  out  of  the 
Kremlin,  over  this  circle  of  houses  with  green  roofs,  gar- 
dens, churches,  towers  of  the  most  extraordinary  shape 
and  color,  most  of  them  green  or  red  or  light  blue,  gener- 
ally crowned  on  top  by  a  colossal  golden  bulb,  usually  five 


or  more  on  one  church,  and  surely  one  thousand  towers! 
Anything  more  strangely  beautiful  than  all  this,  lighted 
by  slanting  sunset  rays,  cannot  be  seen.  The  weather  is 
clear  again,  and  I  should  stay  here  some  days  longer  if 
rumors  of  a  big  battle  in  Italy  were  not  going  about,  which 
may  result  in  lots  of  diplomatic  work,  so  that  I  must  get 
back  to  my  post.  The  house  in  which  I  am  writing  is 
wonderful  enough,  really;  one  of  the  few  that  have  out- 
lived 1812 — old,  thick  walls,  as  in  Schonhausen,  Oriental 
architecture,  Moorish,  large  rooms,  almost  entirely  occu- 
pied by  the  chancery  officers,  who  administer,  or  malad- 
minister,  Jussupow's  estates.  He,  his  wife,  and  I  have 
the  one  livable  wing  in  the  midst  of  them.  Lots  of  love. 
Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

338 


1859J       THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF    BISMARCK 

Petersburg,  June  25,  '59. 
MY  DEAR  HEART, — I  should  not  have  been  satisfied 
with  the  hasty  lines  I  wrote  you  a  week  ago,  and  should 
have  written  again  some  days  sooner,  but  I  have  had  at 
last  to  pay  some  tribute  to  the  climate.  Lumbago,  in  un- 
usual perfection,  seized  upon  my  limbs  from  various  sides 
at  once,  and  though  in  the  beginning  I  would  not  recognize 
it,  it  finally  made  itself  so  evident  that  I  soon  lay  fettered, 
or,  rather,  sat,  for  lying  down  was  not  always  an  easy 
matter  when  these  nomadically  inclined  tormentors  chose 
their  seat  in  my  back,  instead  of  in  legs  and  ribs.  I  have 
risen  from  the  milder  mustard  remedies  to  those  of  cupping 
and  the  Spanish  fly,  and  in  their  management  of  these 
operations  have  found  the  Russians  not  quite  free  from 
the  savagery  which  my  political  sympathy  for  them  had 
been  glad  to  reckon  among  the  inventions  of  preju- 
dice. I  believe  now  in  the  knout,  although  I  have 
seen  none  as  yet.  Now  1  am  rejoicing  in  the  free  use  of 
my  limbs,  but  I  am  covered,  like  Lazarus,  with  wounds 
and  boils;  however,  that  will  soon  heal,  and  I  will  not 
embitter  my  thanks  to  God  for  my  recovery  with  com- 
plaints about  this.  This  rheumatism,  as  you  know,  is  not 
dangerous,  but  very  painf ul ;  and  one  cold  followed  another 
here,  excessive  night  work,  political  vexation,  everything 
had  contributed  to  stomach  trouble,  too,  and  1  am  still  on 
a  diet,  with  a  passion  for  fresh  compote,  which,  at  the  price 
of  one  and  a  half  rubles  for  the  pound  of  cherries,  and 
three  and  a  half  for  the  pound  of  strawberries,  is  ruin- 
ous for  the  father  of  a  family.  But  after  already  eating 
cherries  here  three  months  ago  at  twelve  rubles,  and 
grapes  at  I  don't  know  what,  though  not  at  my  own  ex- 
pense, and  after  being  served  constantly  since  then  at 
every  dinner  with  everything  that  the  year  produces  in 

339 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [June, 

any  one  of  its  months,  I  think  I  will  not  deny  myself  these 
"rublish  preserves.".  .  .  I  was  dreadfully  homesick  for  you 
and  all  about  you  when  I  had  to  lie  here  so  quiet  and  soli- 
tary, and  whenever  I  looked  at  the  pictures  of  you  and 
the  children  1  felt  doubly  forsaken.  One  pampers  himself 
then  like  a  house-dog,  and  it  was  the  first  occasion  since  I 
left  you  in  Frankfort  that  the  restless  disquietude  of  busi- 
ness and  court  life  had  spared  me  time  for  relaxing  thought. 
I  am  thinking  more  than  ever  of  the  possibility  of  giving 
up  this  driving  existence,  at  a  suitable  opportunity.  Who 
knows  how  long  we  shall  still  live  together  in  this  world, 
and  who  knows  what  kind  of  times  we  may  see  here?  A 
man  becomes  a  stranger  to  God,  his  own  family,  and  him- 
self, and  the  keys  of  his  soul  are  so  out  of  tune  that  he  has 
not  a  note  left  among  them  that  could  give  pleasure  to  a 
single  person.  This  life  is  lacking  in  what  I  might  call 
the  Sunday  element — not  a  Frankfort,  but  a  Kolziglow 
Sunday — a  drop  of  rest  in  this  feverish  confusion,  a  bit  of 
holiday-time  in  this  workshop,  where  lies  and  passion 
hammer  restlessly  at  the  anvil  of  human  ignorance.  We 
say  to  ourselves,  to  be  sure,  that  the  world  is  going  God's 
ways,  and  after  thirty  years  it's  all  the  same  to  us,  perhaps 
even  after  one,  whether  things  happened  this  way  or  that ; 
but  if  we  try  to  hammer,  too,  we  lose  our  breath,  unless 
(like  many  of  our  friends)  we  provide  ourselves  with  a 
neat-looking  hammer  of  pasteboard  and  a  mild  little  Of- 
fenbach heart  of  pressed  leather.  You  must  bring  both 
along  with  you  for  me;  here  at  Stenbock  I  haven't  yet 
found  them,  although  there  is  lots  of  wonderful  furniture 
here,  and  the  place  for  ours  will  be  scant.  .  .  .  Fare- 
well, my  sweetheart,  and  do  not  worry  over  all  these 
things  I  have  been  grumbling  to  you  about;  with  God's 
help    everything    will    come    out    well,    and    I    shall   be 

340 


1859]      THE    LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

well   and  happy  with  you.     Much  love  to   parents  and 
children.  Your  most  faithful  VON  B. 


Peterhof,  June  28,  '59. 
My  DEAR  HEART, — From  this  date  you  see  that  I 
am  on  the  heights  again.  I  came  here  early  to-day  to  take 
leave  of  "Ssudarina  Matuschka,"  Czarina  Mammy,  who 
goes  to  sea  to-morrow.  To  me  she  seems  to  have  some- 
thing motherly  in  her  lovely  naturalness,  and  I  can  talk 
to  her  as  unreservedly  as  though  I  had  known  her  from 
childhood.  She  talked  to  me  a  long  time  to-day  about 
many  things;  on  a  balcony  with  a  view  over  the  green, 
knitting  at  a  white-and-red  woollen  shawl,  with  long  wood- 
en needles,  she  lay  dressed  in  black,  in  a  chaise-longue.  I 
should  have  liked  to  listen  for  hours  to  her  deep  voice  and 
honest  laughing  and  chiding,  so  much  at  home  did  1  feel. 
I  had  come  in  a  dress-coat  for  a  couple  of  hours  only,  but 
when  she  finally  said  she  did  not  want  to  say  good-bye  to 
me  yet,  but  I  had  probably  a  tremendous  amount  to  do,  I  de- 
clared, "  Not  in  the  least" ;  and  then  she  said,  "  Stay,  then, 
until  1  leave  to-morrow."  I  was  glad  to  take  the  invita- 
tion as  a  command,  for  it's  charming  here,  and  so  stony 
in  Petersburg.  Imagine  the  heights  of  Oliva  and  Zoppot 
all  dressed  up  with  pleasure-grounds  and  with  a  dozen 
castles  between,  with  terraces,  fountains,  and  lakes,  with 
shady  walks  and  lawns,  all  the  way  to  the  sea,  blue  sky 
and  warm  sun,  with  white  clouds,  and  out  beyond  the  green, 
sea  of  tree-tops  the  real,  blue  sea,  with  sails  and  gulls; 
nothing  has  done  me  so  much  good  for  a  long  time.  The 
Czar  and  GortschakofT  come  in  a  few  hours ;  then,  1  sup- 
pose, some  business  will  break  in  upon  the  idyl ;  but,  thank 
Heaven,  it  looks  somewhat  more  peaceful  in  the  world,  in 

341 


THE    LOVE    LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK     [July, 

spite  of  our  preparations  for  the  field,  and  I  do  not  need  to 
trouble  myself  so  much  about  resolutions  that  I  could  not 
approve.  I  have  come  to  feel  sorry  for  the  Austrian  sol- 
diers ;  they  must  be  led  too  stupidly,  to  have  met  with  so 
many  defeats — on  the  24th  again!  The  French  will  be- 
come over-confident.  It  is  a  lesson  for  Rechberg  and  his 
Ministers  which  they,  in  their  obduracy,  will  not  take  to 
heart  at  all.  We  should  undoubtedly  have  stood  by  them, 
if  we  had  had  even  enough  confidence  in  them  to  believe 
that  they  would  not  betray  us  while  we  were  fighting  for 
them.  I  should  fear  France  less  than  Austria  from  the 
moment  we  took  the  war  upon  ourselves.  .  .  .  Have  Schmidt* 
bring  along  what  he  needs  for  the  children  in  the  way  of 
teaching  things,  books,  etc.,  etc.  There  is  nothing  of  the 
kind  here.  Dearest  love  to  old  and  young  and  middle- 
aged.     Farewell,  my  darling. 

Your  most  faithful  VON  B. 


Petersburg,  July  2,  '59. 
MY  DEAR  HEART, — I  received  your  letter  of  the  25th 
yesterday,  and  you  will  probably  get  to-morrow  the  one 
that  I  sent  to  Stettin  on  Wednesday  with  the  Dowager 
Czarina.  My  homesick  heart  follows  its  course  with  yearn- 
ing thoughts;  it  was  such  charming  clear  weather  and 
fresh  winds  when  we  escorted  her  Highness  on  board  in 
Peterhof  that  I  should  have  liked  to  leap  on  the  ship,  in 
uniform  and  without  baggage,  and  go  along  with  her. 
Since  then  the  heat  has  grown  worse,  about  the  tem- 
perature of  a  freely  watered  palm  -  house,  and  my  lack 
of  summer  materials  is  making  itself  decidedly  felt.     I 

*  Tutor. 
342 


1859]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

go  about  in  the  rooms  in  my  shirt  alone,  as  the  dear 
blue  dressing-gown  is  too  narrow,  even  now  at  six 
o'clock  in  the  morning.  A  courier  wakened  me  half  an 
hour  ago,  with  his  war  and  peace,  and  I  cannot  sleep 
any  more  now,  although  I  did  not  get  to  bed  until 
towards  two.  Our  politics  are  drifting  more  and  more  into 
the  Austrian  wake,  and  as  soon  as  we  have  fired  a  shot  on 
the  Rhine,  then  it's  all  over  with  the  war  between  Italy 
and  Austria,  and,  instead  of  that,  a  war  between  France 
and  Prussia  will  take  the  stage,  in  which  Austria,  after 
we  have  taken  the  burden  from  her  shoulders,  will  stand 
by  us  or  will  not  stand  by  us,  just  as  her  own  interests 
dictate.  She  will  certainly  not  suffer  us  to  play  a  glori- 
ously victorious  role.  It  is  quite  remarkable  that  in  such 
crises  Catholic  ministers  always  hold  the  reins  of  our  des- 
tiny— Radowitz  once  before,  now  Hohenzollern,  who  just 
now  has  the  predominant  influence,  and  is  in  favor  of  war. 
I  look  very  darkly  into  the  future ;  our  troops  are  not  better 
than  the  Austrian,  because  they  onl}-  serve  half  as  long; 
and  the  German  troops,  on  whose  support  we  reckon,  are 
for  the  most  part  quite  wretched,  and,  if  things  go  ill  with 
us,  their  leaders  will  fall  away  from  us  like  dry  leaves  in 
the  wind.  But  God,  who  can  hold  up  and  throw  down 
Prussia,  and  the  world,  knows  why  these  things  must  be, 
and  we  will  not  embitter  ourselves  against  the  land  in 
which  we  were  born,  and  against  the  authorities  for  whose 
enlightenment  we  pray.  After  thirty  years,  perhaps 
much  sooner,  it  will  be  a  small  matter  to  us  how  things 
stand  with  Prussia  and  Austria,  if  only  the  mercy  of 
God  and  the  deserving  of  Christ  remain  to  our  souls.  I 
opened  the  Scriptures  last  evening,  at  random,  so  as  to  rid 
my  anxious  heart  of  politics,  and  my  eye  lighted  imme- 
diately on  the  5th  verse  of  the  110th  Psalm.  As  God  wills — 

343 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Oct. 

it  is  all,  to  be  sure,  only  a  question  of  time,  nations  and  peo- 
ple, folly  and  wisdom,  war  and  peace;  they  come  and  go 
like  waves  of  water,  and  the  sea  remains.  What  are  our 
states  and  their  power  and  honor  before  God,  except  as  ant- 
hills and  bee-hives  which  the  hoof  of  an  ox  tramples  down, 
or  fate,  in  the  form  of  a  honey-farmer,  overtakes?  .  .  .  Fare- 
well, my  sweetheart,  and  learn  to  experience  life's  folly  in 
sadness ;  there  is  nothing  in  this  world  but  hypocrisy  and 
jugglery,  and  whether  fever  or  grape-shot  shall  bear  away 
this  mass  of  flesh,  fall  it  must,  sooner  or  later,  and  then 
such  a  resemblance  will  appear  between  a  Prussian  and 
an  Austrian,  if  they  are  of  the  same  size,  like  Schrech  and 
Rechberg,  for  example,  that  it  will  be  difficult  to  distin- 
guish between  them ;  the  stupid  and  the  clever,  too,  prop- 
erly reduced  to  the  skeleton  state,  look  a  good  deal  like  each 
other.  Patriotism  for  a  particular  country  is  destroyed 
by  this  reflection,  but  we  should  have  to  despair  in  any 
case,  even  now,  were  it  linked  with  our  salvation.  Fare- 
well once  more,  with  love  to  parents  and  children.  How 
impatient  I  am  to  see  them !  As  soon  as  Vriendschap — so 
our  vessel  is  called — is  in  sight,  I  shall  telegraph.  With 
love,  as  always,  Your  most  faithful  VON  B. 


LAZIENKI,   October  1 7,   '59. 

MY  DEAR  HEART,  —  Here  I  am  at  Lazienki.  This 
morning  I  was  looking  in  the  first  Polish  station  for  the 
ticket-office,  so  as  to  be  registered  for  this  place,  when  a 
benevolent  fate  in  the  shape  of  a  white-bearded  Russian 
general  seized  me  (Prittivitz  is  the  angel's  name),  and  be- 
fore I  could  really  recover  my  senses  my  passport  was 
wrested  from  the  police  and  my  luggage  from  the  custom- 
house officials,  and  I  was  transplanted  from  the  way-train 

344 


1859]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

to  the  special  of  the  Prince  of  Orange,  and  was  sitting,  a 
cigar  of  this  charming  young  gentleman  in  my  mouth,  be- 
tween three  Dutchmen  and  two  Russians  in  a  royal  draw- 
ing-room car,  and,  after  a  good  dinner  in  Petrikau  or  Piots- 
koff,  arrived  at  the  station  here,  where  the  Emperor  was 
awaiting  the  Prince,  and  where  I  was  separated  by  the 
gilded  crowd  from  Alexander  and  baggage.  My  carriage 
was  waiting ;  I  had  to  get  in,  and  my  questions,  which  I 
called  out  in  various  languages,  as  to  where  I  was  to  lodge 
and  as  to  my  wish  to  notify  Alexander  Raymond  of  the 
place,  died  away  in  the  clatter  of  the  wagon  with  which 
two  excited  stallions  were  galloping  me  off  into  the  night. 
It  must  have  been  half  an  hour  that  I  was  driven  in  wild 
haste  through  the  darkness,  and  now  I  am  sitting  here  in 
uniform  with  the  ribbon  of  the  order  which  we  all  donned 
at  the  last  station,  tea  near  me,  a  mirror  before  me,  and  I 
don't  know  a  thing  beyond  the  fact  that  I  am  in  the  Stanis- 
laus August  pavilion,  in  Lazienki;  I  don't  know  where 
that  is,  and  live  in  the  hope  that  Alexander,  with  a  some- 
what more  comfortable  costume,  will  soon  discover  traces 
of  me.  Judging  from  the  rushing  noise,  there  seem  to  be 
high  trees  or  fountains  in  front  of  my  window ;  except  for  a 
great  many  people  in  court-livery,  I  haven't  discovered  any 
human  beings  about.  .  .  .  The  Emperor  comes  early  on 
the  23d  to  Breslau,  stays  there  till  a  week  from  to-day, 
and  then,  my  angel,  with  two  days'  delay,  I  shall  come  to 
you.  .  .  .  With  hearty  love, 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Lazienki,  October  19,  '59. 
MY  BELOVED, — I  can  only  tell  you  simply  that  I  am 
well.     Yesterday  1  was  en  grandeur  all  day:  breakfast 

345 


THE    LOVE    LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK     [Apr. 

with  the  Emperor,  then  long  audience,  just  as  gracious  as 
in  P.,  and  very  sympathetic;  calls,  dinner  at  his  Maj- 
esty's theatre  in  the  evening,  very  good  ballet,  and  all 
boxes  full  of  pretty  women.  Now  I  have  slept  splendidly, 
the  tea  is  standing  on  the  table,  and  after  I  have  drunk  it 
I  go  out  driving.  Early  on  the  23d  the  Emperor  comes  to 
Breslau;  early  on  the  25th  we  shall  probably  go  to  Ber- 
lin. The  aforementioned  tea,  which  I  just  drank,  con- 
sisted really  not  only  of  tea,  but  of  coffee,  six  eggs,  three 
kinds  of  meat,  pastry,  and  one  bottle  of  Bordeaux,  and 
from  the  breach  that  I  made  in  it  early  in  the  morning  you 
would  see  that  my  journey  did  not  do  me  any  harm.  The 
wind  is  blowing  here  over  the  Vistula  as  though  giving 
vent  to  its  wrath,  and  is  rummaging  in  the  chestnuts  and 
lindens  that  surround  me,  so  that  the  yellow  leaves  whirl 
against  the  windows;  but  here,  within,  with  double  win- 
dows, tea,  and  the  thought  of  you  and  the  children,  it  is 
easy  to  smoke  my  cigar  in  cosey  comfort.  Unfortunately 
all  comfort  in  the  world  has  its  precise  limits,  and  I  am  only 
waiting  till  the  people  in  the  next  room,  where  I  hear  Alex- 
ander's voice  gayly  asking  for  a  corkscrew,  have  finished 
their  breakfast,  to  throw  myself  into  a  carriage  and  to 
drive  first  to  various  castles  and  castellets,  and  then  into 
town.  Eulenburg  *  has  just  been  announced.  Farewell. 
Lots  of  love  to  all. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


BERLIN,  Wednesday,  April  25,  '60. 

"No  hope  is  realized;  in  the  young  man's,"  etc.,  etc.     I 
have  just  come  out  from  my  audience  of  leave  No.  4 ;  but  it 

*  Consul-General  at  Warsaw. 
346 


i86oJ       THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

is  not  the  last.     Kindly  but  imperative  request  that  I  re- 
main "  a  few  days  "  longer,  and  regards  to  you. 

Yesterday  I  dined  with  old  Fr.  Lottum.  I  have  now 
discovered  that  new  port  wine  is  very  good  for  me.  In 
the  evening  I  was  with  Agnes  Pourtales  until  twelve.  I 
had  really  hoped  to  leave  to-morrow,  and  am  now  some- 
what bewildered  and  depressed.  My  longing  grows  with 
every  glimpse  of  the  sun.  Give  hearty  love  to  old  and 
young,  and  especially  to  dad. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

The  sparrows  are  sitting,  with  ruffled  feathers,  on  the 
balcony  railing,  and  thinking,  "Where  is  Nannie  with  the 
Zwieback?" 

Berlin,  Friday. 
(Postmarked  April  2j,  '60  ) 

As  in  old  days,  my  heart,  I  write  to  you  once  again  from 
the  Chamber — to-day  the  Upper  House.  .  .  .  My  longing  to 
get  away  from  here  is  getting  to  be  a  disease  with  me; 
homesickness  for  the  northeast,  and  ideal  pictures  of  home- 
life  on  the  Neva  infest  my  dreams.  How  long,  0  God, 
how  long?  The  flight  of  marble  stairs,  the  green-room, 
and  the  boats  on  the  Spree  are  unendurable  to  me.  Fare- 
well. God  be  with  you  all,  and  bring  us  together  soon. 
Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

B.,  Friday. 

(Postmarked  BERLIN,  May  4,   '60.) 

T   have  sent  you  envelopes  to-day,  my  dearest  heart. 

If  there  are  not  fifty,  or  if  they  are  not  the  right  ones,  then 

we  are  defrauded,  but  they  cost  only  ten  silver  groschen. 

Last  evening  I  was  at  the  Regent's.    I  was  complaining 

347 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS  OF  BISMARCK   [May, 

about  the  cold,  windy  weather.  "  And  do  you  want  to  go  to 
Petersburg  in  this  weather?"  he  put  in.  I  said  it  wasn't 
any  worse  there  than  here,  and  a  person  must  live  some- 
where, hence  my  wish  to  leave.  Then  Prince  Fr.  Wilh. 
said :  "  I  sha'n't  say  good-bye  to  you  any  more,  however, 
for  I  have  done  so  four  times  already,  and  you  are  still 
here."  Thereupon  I  cast  at  his  father  a  glance  which 
meant,  "There,  you  hear  it  from  your  own  son,"  but  just 
as  I  did  so  he  turned  away  and  left  us  standing  there. 
Those  are  bad  prospects,  and  yet  I  cannot  say  anything 
to  your  Reinfeld  questions  of  to-day,  but  will  await  the 
reply  to  an  official  inquiry  about  my  leaving,  which  I  sent 
in  yesterday  to  the  Ministry. 

The  delegates  had  a  sharp  quarrel  to-day.  Moritz  fell 
upon  Schleinitz,  good  in  thought,  weak  in  expression, 
but  courageous.  It  would  only  lead  to  their  suspecting 
me  of  it  and  saying  to  me,  "  Sir,  just  clear  off  to  your  post!" 
I  make  myself  as  disagreeable  as  possible.  I  must  go  to 
Oscar's  now,  or  they'll  die  of  hunger  there. 

Berlin,  Monday. 
(Postmarked  May  7,  '60.) 

...  I  am  sitting  here  on  the  balcony  cliff,  1  ke  the  Lorelei, 
and  I  see  the  Spree  skipper  pass  through  tie  lock,  but  I 
am  not  singing  and  am  not  taking  the  troubl  ?  to  comb  my 
hair.  I  think  I  am  getting  terribly  old  in  this  hotel ;  the 
seasons  and  the  tribes  of  travellers  and  waiters  pass  by 
before  me,  and  1  stay  on  in  the  little  green-room,  feed  the 
sparrows,  and  lose  more  hair  every  day.  .  .  .  The  wheel  of 
time  has  forgotten  me,  like  the  Red-beard  in  the  Kyff- 
hauser,  and  I  wait  and  wait  for  things  that  never  come. 
After  three  days'  vain  efforts  I  met  Schleinitz  yesterday, 
accidentally,  at  a  dinner  at  Redern's;  my  request  that  the 

348 


i860]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

Countess  Perpoucher  and  1  should  be  either  freed  from 
suspense,  or  else  temporarily  married  to  each  other  for  the 
rest  of  the  time  of  waiting,  seemed  to  him  just,  and  he  was 
willing  to  help  the  Countess,  at  least,  by  giving  Per- 
poucher' leave  of  absence,  and  handing  the  business  over 
to  Croy  again,  as  there  wasn't  anything  special  to  do.  1 
declared,  rather  dryly,  that  I  should  prefer  going  away  to 
enduring  any  longer  this  "  lagging  and  dragging  torment 
of  suspense."  He  then  begged  me  to  wait  quietly  "a  few 
days"  longer,  and  hinted  vaguely  at  important  changes. 
I  told  him  that  I  had  no  desire  for  such  a  thing ;  I  wanted 
to  remain  what  I  was;  let  them  send  me  to  Frankfort,  if 
they  wanted,  and  then  the  anxieties  now  weighing  upon 
him  could  be  lightened.  "Would  you  really — if  it  were 
offered?"  "Yes."  "But  Olympia?"  "Well,  I  can't 
marry  her,  but  my  house  in  Petersburg  shall  be  free  to 
her  if  we  exchange."  Therewith  the  conversation  ended. 
The  fact  that  Schleinitz  is  at  one  with  Auerswald,  Ho- 
henzollern,  and  the  Regent,  in  wanting  to  keep  me  here, 
proves  that  no  decisions  have  been  made  even  yet  in  the 
most  important  matters.  The  thought  of  living  in  Berlin 
is  not  agreeable  to  me;  if  I  cannot  go  to  Frankfort,  then 
my  first  choice  would  be  Petersburg,  and  then  London 
or  Naples,  rather  than  here.  But  as  God  wills;  it  is  al- 
ready too  much  that  I  have  expressed  the  wish  to  go  to 
Frankfort.  .  .  .  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

BERLIN,  Saturday. 
(Postmarked  May  12,  '6o.) 
I  am  well,  my  heart ;  sending,  herewith,  pictures,  gloves, 
lorgnette.     Upon  my  further  attempt  to  get  off,  irritability, 

*  Count  Perpoucher  was  charge  d'affaires  in  Petersburg. 

349 


THE    LOVE    LETTERS    OF    BISMARCK     [May, '60 

and  command  to  remain,  sans  phrase.  So  for  the  present 
I  can  do  nothing  but  grumble  inwardly.  Thousand  greet- 
ings. Thiergarten  my  comfort.  Nightingales  charming ; 
green,  but  very  hot.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

Berlin,  May  17,  '60. 
MY  DEAR  HEART, — This  is  Ascension-Day  —  that  is 
all  very  fine,  but,  unfortunately,  not  Departure-Day,  and 
that  is  very  sad.  I  am  waiting  in  quiet  resignation,  and 
reckoning,  dejectedly,  that  I  still  have  a  whole  week  before 
the  session  ends.  For  almost  two  weeks  I  haven't  spoken 
a  word  of  business,  or,  at  any  rate,  business  of  my  office, 
and  for  a  week  longer  it  will  be  just  the  same.  Couldn't  I 
have  been  with  you  quietly  for  three  weeks?  I  am  very 
melancholy  over  this  wasting  of  the  most  beautiful  time 
in  the  year,  especially  when  I  say  to  myself  beforehand 
that  no  substantial  result  of  any  kind  will  come  of  it.  Feed- 
ing sparrows,  Roder  and  Harry  appearing  as  usual,  dinner 
at  Oscar's — all  just  as  before  you  left,  only  no  more  heat- 
ing, and  the  bare  bushes  in  the  green  plot  have  turned 
into  mountains  of  white  blossoms.  I  called  on  the  Coun- 
tess Perpoucher  yesterday,  and  found  her  in  mild  despair; 
she  is  going  off  with  the  children  to  some  watering-place 
without  waiting  for  her  husband.  The  children  wrote  me 
very  nicely  to-day ;  thank  them  for  it;  and  tell  them  to  read 
their  letters  over  carefully  before  they  send  them,  so  as  to 
discover  where  they  have  dropped  words  or  written  non- 
sense, and  correct  them.  That  much  time  they  must  be 
willing  to  give  it.  I  am  going  to  the  Thiergarten — my  only 
amusement.  Only  to-day  it  will  be  very  full.  Farewell. 
Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

Rooce  challenged  Vincken;  but  I  hope  we  can  smooth 

350 


I'KIXCKSS    ItlSMAKCK 

1SR5 


May, '62]     THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK 

the  matter  over.  Really,  this  time  there  is  no  reason  for  it ; 
we  ourselves  say  much  more  aggravating  things  to  other 
Ministers;  business  must  bring  that  in  its  train,  and  in 
every  Parliament  there  are  churls,  but  one  doesn't  always 
shoot  them  down  right  away.     Love  to  all. 

Berlin,  May  17,  '62. 
MY  DEAR  HEART, — At  last  I  have  had  news  of  you — 
yesterday  evening — and  am  very  thankful  that  God's 
gracious  protection  has  accompanied  you  and  kept  you 
through  all  dangers.  .  .  .  You  have  behaved  with  courage 
and  decision,  like  Joanna  of  Orleans,  but  still  it  makes  me 
rather  anxious  to  have  you  travel  without  a  servant.  The 
exertion  of  going  to  Wygode,  and  the  care  connected  with 
it,  cannot  have  done  you  any  good,  in  your  poor,  feeble 
health.  Our  dear  parents  will  nurse  you  into  better  weight 
again.  Mother  has  probably  scolded  well  at  my  handing 
you  over  in  such  a  thin  condition.  I  am  thankful  that  you 
are  in  the  haven.  Our  future  is  just  as  uncertain  as  in 
Petersburg;  Berlin  is  more  in  the  foreground;  I  do  noth- 
ing for  and  nothing  against  it,  but  I  shall  drink  myself 
tipsy  when  I  once  have  my  Paris  credentials  in  my  pocket. 
London  is  entirely  out  of  the  question  for  the  present,  but 
everything  may  be  changed  again.  The  King  is  very 
gracious,  talks  over  everything  with  me,  except  future 
ambassadorships.  .  .  .  Hearty  love. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

Berlin,  May  21,  '62. 
Frau  von  Bismarck,   Schonhausen,   Reinfeld,  near    Old 
Pomerania : 
MY  DEAR   HEART, — Your   letter   came   yesterday,    to 
my  delight,  with  the  Wentzel  enclosure,  which  I  will  at- 

351 


THE   LOVE    LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK      [May, 

tend  to.  There  is  still  no  decision  made  here.  Perhaps 
Heydt's  ambition  will  save  me;  he  wants  to  be  minister- 
president  himself ;  besides,  I  do  not  wish  for  this  position 
unless  I  have  the  foreign  office  with  it,  and  Bernstorff 
wants  to  stay,  or  to  hold  London  open  for  himself,  too. 
Saturday  I  shall  have  been  here  two  weeks ;  then  I  shall 
explode  and  demand  my  dismissal.  .  .  .  Yesterday  1  was 
with  the  widowed  Queen  an  hour  and  a  half ;  very  amiable 
in  sadness,  reminiscence,  and  tears.  The  photograph  in 
mourning  is  not  in  the  least  like  her.  I  was  in  Sans  Souci 
again  for  the  first  time  since  the  autumn  of  '57,  and  many 
pictures  of  the  past  rose  up  before  me  out  of  the  blossoming 
bushes.  I  am  engaged  every  hour  of  the  day,  without 
really  having  anything  to  do,  and  necessity  for  calls  just 
as  bad  as  in  Petersburg.  Farewell,  beloved  angel.  Much 
love.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Berlin,  May  23,  '62. 
My  DEAR  HEART, —  You  have  already  seen  in  the 
papers  that  I  have  been  appointed  to  Paris.  I  am  very 
glad  of  it,  but  the  shadow  remains  in  the  background.  1 
was  already  as  good  as  caught  for  the  ministry;  my  dis- 
approval of  the  affair  over  the  electorate  of  Hesse  and  the 
indecision  of  Bernstorff  have  set  me  free  for  the  present. 
I  asked  definitely  and  officially  for  an  appointment,  or 
leave  to  depart,  and  three  hours  later  received  my  appoint- 
ment, as  Bernstorff  could  not  decide  so  quickly  about  his 
resignation.  I  leave  as  soon  as  I  can  get  away,  to-morrow  or 
day  after,  for  Paris.  ...  I  am  not  coming  to  you  beforehand, 
because  I  want  first  to  take  possession  in  Paris ;  perhaps 
they  will  discover  another  minister-president  when  I  am 
once  out  of  their  sight.     I  am  not  going  to  Schonhausen, 

352 


1862]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

either,  for  fear  they  might  keep  me  tied  down  here  again. 
I  rode  about  as  major  for  four  hours  yesterday,  so  I  re- 
ceived my  appointment  to  Paris  in  the  saddle.  The  chest- 
nut mare  is  here,  and  is  my  joy  and  relaxation  in  the  Thier- 
garten;  1  shall  take  her  with  me.  The  bears  left  yester- 
day for  Frankfort.  I  have  both  hands  full  to  make  it  pos- 
sible to  get  off.  The  next  letter,  I  hope,  from  Paris ;  write 
me  there,  "Ambassade  de  Prusse,  Rue  de  Lille."  Fare- 
well, my  sweetheart.     A  thousand  greetings. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Berlin,  May  25,  '62. 
MY  DEAR  HEART, — You  write  very  seldom,  and  with- 
out doubt  you  have  more  time  for  it  than  I.  I  have  hardly 
had  a  really  good  night's  sleep  since  I  have  been  here. 
Yesterday  I  went  out  at  eight  in  the  morning,  came  back 
in  haste  to  the  house  five  times  to  change  my  clothes ;  at 
eight  went  to  Potsdam  again  to  see  Prince  Frederick 
Charles,  and  back  here  again  at  eleven.  To-da}',  at  four, 
I  have  just  had  my  first  free  minute,  and  am  using  it  to 
heap  this  fiery  coal  on  your  black  head.  I  expect  to  leave 
for  Paris  to-morrow,  at  latest  Tuesday;  whether  for  long 
Heaven  only  knows;  perhaps  only  for  months  or  weeks. 
They  are  all  conspiring  here  to  make  me  stay,  and  I  shall 
be  very  thankful  when  I  have  gained  a  resting-place  on 
the  Seine,  and  have  a  porter  who  will  admit  no  one  to  me 
for  several  days.  ...  I  don't  know  yet  whether  I  can  send 
our  chattels  to  Paris  at  all ;  for  it's  possible  I  shall  be  called 
back  here  before  they  arrive.  I  am  attempting  flight, 
rather  than  taking  up  a  new  abode.  I  have  had  to  be  very 
severe  in  order  to  get  away,  for  the  present,  from  this  hotel 
life  of  procrastination.     1  am  ready  for  all  that  God  may 

Z  353 


THE    LOVE   LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK      [June, 

send,  and  bewail  only  being  separated  from  you  without 
being  able  to  calculate  on  the  time  when  we  shall  see  each 
other  again.  If  there  is  any  prospect  of  my  staying  in 
Paris  till  winter,  then,  I  think,  you  will  follow  me  soon, 
and  we  will  settle  down  comfortably,  even  though  it  be  for 
a  short  time.  It  will  have  to  be  settled  in  July  whether 
I  return  before  the  end  of  the  summer  session,  or  remain 
longer  in  Paris,  and  long  enough  to  bring  you  all  over. 
I  shall  do  what  I  can  to  bring  about  the  latter  result,  and, 
anyway,  I  should  like  to  have  you  come  to  Paris,  if  only 
for  a  short  time,  and  without  any  regular  establishment, 
so  that  you  may  have  seen  it.  There  was  a  grand  military 
dinner  yesterday,  where  I  figured  as  major  —  parade  be- 
forehand. The  chestnut  mare  is  my  daily  delight  in 
the  Thiergarten,  but  not  quite  enough  for  military  pur- 
poses. Now  I  am  going  to  a  farewell  dinner  at  Malle's 
with  numerous  friends;  at  last  a  free  noon.  Give  love 
and  kisses  to  big  and  small,  and  write  to  me. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Paris,  May  31,  '62. 
My  DEAR  HEART, — Only  a  few  lines  in  the  press  of 
business  to  tell  you  I  am  well,  but  very  lonely,  with  a  view 
out  over  the  green,  in  this  dull,  rainy  weather,  while  the 
bumble-bees  hum  and  the  sparrows  twitter.  Grand  au- 
dience to-morrow.  It's  vexatious  that  I  have  to  buy  linen, 
towels,  table-cloths,  and  sheets.  .  .  .  Farewell.  Hearty 
love,  and  write  1  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

Paris,  June  1,  '62. 
MY  DEAR  HEART, — The  Emperor  received  me  to-day, 
and  I  handed  over  my  credentials ;  he  received  me  kindly, 

354 


iS62]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

is  looking  well,  has  grown  somewhat  stouter,  but  by  no 
means  fat  and  aged,  as  he  generally  is  in  caricatures. 
The  Empress  is  still  one  of  the  most  beautiful  women  I 
know,  in  spite  of  Petersburg ;  she  has,  if  anything,  grown 
more  beautiful  in  the  past  five  years.  The  whole  affair 
was  official,  ceremonial;  I  was  taken  back  in  court-car- 
riage with  master  of  ceremonies,  etc.  Next  time  I  shall 
probably  have  a  private  audience.  I  long  for  business, 
for  I  don't  know  what  to  do  with  myself.  To-day  I  dined 
alone,  the  young  gentlemen  were  out;  the  entire  evening 
rain;  and  at  home  alone.  To  whom  should  I  go?  In 
the  midst  of  big  Paris  I  am  lonelier  than  you  are  at  Rein- 
feld,  and  sit  here  like  a  rat  in  a  deserted  house.  The  only 
pleasure  I  have  had  was  sending  the  cook  away  because 
of  overcharges.  You  know  my  indulgence  in  this  mat- 
ter, but  Rembours  was  a  child  in  comparison.  I  am  dining 
for  the  present  in  a  cafe.  How  long  that  will  last,  God 
knows.  I  shall  probably  receive  a  summons,  by  telegram, 
to  Berlin,  in  eight  or  ten  days,  and  then  good-bye  to  this 
song  -  and  -  dance.  If  my  opponents  only  knew  what  a 
boon  their  victory  would  be  to  me,  and  how  heartily  I  de- 
sire it !  Then  Rechberg  would,  perhaps,  out  of  malice,  do 
his  best  to  have  me  called  to  Berlin.  You  can't  have  any 
more  aversion  to  Wilhelmstrasse  than  myself,  and  if  I  am 
not  persuaded  that  it  must  be,  then  I  will  not  go.  I  con- 
sider it  cowardice  and  disloyalty  to  leave  the  King  in  the 
lurch,  under  pretence  of  illness.  If  it  is  not  to  be,  then 
God  will  permit  those  who  search  to  find  another  princillon 
who  will  offer  himself  as  cover  for  the  pot.  If  it  is  to  be, 
then  " s'Bogom"  ("with  God"),  as  our  Russian  drivers 
used  to  say,  when  they  took  up  the  reins.  .  .  . 

Your  V.  B. 

355 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK     [June, 

Paris,  June  18,  '62. 
MY  DEAR  HEART, — To-day,  at  the  above  date,  I  have 
had  to  bring  myself  to  lighting  a  fire,  after  struggling 
against  the  thought  for  several  days.  It  rains  every  liv- 
ing day,  hard  only  last  night,  and  when  the  sun  once  shows 
himself  I  sit  down  on  a  chair  in  the  garden  and  let  him 
shine  on  my  back.  I  don't  like  to  go  out  any  more  in  the 
evening;  for,  as  the  Parisians  have  the  firm  and  fixed 
idea  that  they  live  in  a  very  warm  climate,  they  would 
consider  it  insulting  to  the  honor  of  their  country  if  they 
did  not  have  doors  and  windows  open  until  midnight,  and 
did  not  sit  in  forty-five  or  fifty  degrees,  in  a  draught,  and 
in  damp,  cold  winds.  They  are  incredibly  hardened  to  it, 
and  wear  linen  trousers  because  the  calendar  says  it  is 
summer.  .  .  .  Nothing  definite  yet  from  Berlin.  Bought 
Paris  guide.  Farewell,  my  beloved  angel.  God  be  with 
you  and  your  flock.     Hearty  love. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

London,  June  30,  '62. 
MY  DEAR  HEART, — So  you  see  I  did  have  to  come  to 
London,  and  I  have  been  here,  with  Harry  Arnim,  for  an 
hour,  having  left  Paris  at  nine  to-day;  very  pretty  green 
country  on  both  sides  of  the  channel,  and  a  merry  wind  on 
the  sea;  the  ride  took  about  one  and  three-quarter  hours 
from  Boulogne  to  Folkestone,  and  now  I  am  sitting  at  No. 
41  c,  Park  Street,  Grosvenor  Square,  in  a  cosey  room,  wait- 
ing for  dinner,  very  hungry —  Now  I  have  had  dinner, 
and  am  going  out,  so  I  will  close ;  I  only  wanted  to  tell  you 
that  I  am  here  and  well,  and  send  you  hearty  love.  I  ex- 
pect to  go  back  to  Paris  on  Thursday,  and  to  find  there, 
by  God's  help,  good  news  of  you  and  the  children.  Lots  of 
love.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

356 


1 862]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

PARIS,  July  5,  Evening. 
MY  DEAR  HEART, — I  have  just  got  back  from  London ; 
rejoice  to  find  your  two  letters,  the  second  Tuesday's, 
and  send  only  the  news  that  I  am  very  well,  but  too  sleepy 
to  say  one  word  more.  It  was  very  nice  there,  but  the 
English  ministers  know  less  about  Russia  than  about 
Japan  and  the  Mongols,  and  they  are  not  cleverer  than 
ours,  either.     Hearty  love. 

Your  tired  V.  B. 

Harry  is  playing  very  nicely  on  the  embassy's  Erard. 


July  18,  '62. 
MY  BELOVED  HEART, — I  got  leave,  yesterday,  of  six 
weeks,  and  it  seems  very  strange  to  me  that  I  do  not  use 
it  to  make  a  bee-line  to  you,  so  as  to  enjoy  the  delight  of 
being  in  your  midst,  after  so  long  a  separation.  But  I 
have  only  the  choice  of  growing  fast  to  the  hotel  in  Berlin 
again,  or  taking  advantage  of  mountain  and  sea  air  here. 
There  is  nothing  to  keep  me  in  Paris.  The  city  is  deserted 
by  the  people  with  whom  I  have  to  do.  My  request  for 
leave  was  answered  at  once  by  a  summons  to  come  first  to 
Berlin.  I  know  the  business.  I  answered  that  mountain 
and  sea  air  had  been  prescribed  for  me,  and  that  I  needed 
to  Ixj  invigorated  by  it  if  1  were  to  play  the  minister  after- 
wards. Thereupon  leave  was  granted  me  to  go  to  Ba- 
gneres  de  Luchon.  I  dare  not  venture  to  slip  incognito 
through  Berlin,  or  to  Reinfeld,  close  by,  without  giving 
offence  in  high  quarters,  and  if  I  made  my  way  to  Stolj)- 
miinde,  still  I  should  not  be  able  to  get  through  Berlin 
without  paying  toll  of  several  weeks.  They  all  declare 
there  that  they  are  in  need  of  sea-cure,  and  unhappy  at 

357 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK       [July, 

having  to  spend  their  time  in  Berlin.  Besides,  I  really 
promise  myself  the  best  effect  on  my  health  from  my  so- 
journ in  the  mountains,  and  hope,  after  six  weeks,  when  I 
have  promised  to  come  to  Berlin,  to  see  you  all  again,  safe 
and  sound.  .  .  . 

It's  not  endurable  here  any  longer;  annoyance  with 
the  cooking  is  my  only  change.  Theatre  in  this  heat  a 
sweat-bath,  and  almost  nothing  to  do  and  no  acquaint- 
ances. Yesterday  Ewald  Ungern  was  a  passing  relief. 
He  has  gone  to  Berlin  to-day,  and  turns  in  at  Hohendorf, 
if  he  finds  that  Uncle  Alex  is  there.  I  am  divided  between 
contentment  at  leaving  the  hot  dust  here  and  vexation  at 
seeing  our  separation  so  prolonged;  but  I  would  rather 
stay  here  and  yawn  than  be  at  anchor  in  the  H6tel  Royal. 
Commending  you  all  to  God's  faithful  protection,  and  with 
dearest  love,  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Trouville,  July  20,  '62. 
My  DEAR  HEART, — I  came  out  here  to  see  whether  I 
could  get  a  few  baths  here;  but  it  is  too  tiresome,  and  the 
thought  of  spending  weeks  here  unendurable.  Shore, 
sea,  lay  of  the  coast  as  beautiful  as  can  be,  but  the  egoistic 
unsociableness  of  the  French  makes  a  stay  here  only  pos- 
sible when  one  brings  an  establishment  along.  Every 
one  lives  by  himself,  with  his  wife.  The  Metterniches  have 
a  bevy  of  relatives  who  live,  six  couples  strong,  in  a  big 
house.  There  it  is  moderately  amusing  in  the  evening, 
as  much  so  as  it  can  be  for  one  who  finds  himself  a  stran- 
ger in  a  circle  of  intimate  friends.  But  during  the  entire 
day  everybody  lives  unto  himself  alone;  one  dines  here 
with  French  people  at  table  d'hote,  silent  as  in  a  Carthusian 
monastery,  and  my  room,  without  a  sofa,  would  be  unen- 

358 


1862J      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

durable  if  it  had  not  a  view  over  the  sea.  I  should  leave 
this  evening  if  I  had  not  accepted  an  invitation  to  Metter- 
nich's.  So  to-morrow  I  shall  probably  move  on,  either  to 
Cherbourg,  to  see  fleet  and  iron-clads,  or  to  Paris,  thus 
leaving  one  day  later  for  the  south.  Whether  I  shall  put 
the  trip  through  I  don't  yet  know;  I  have  a  feeling  of 
homesickness  that  next  thing  I  shall  be  casting  all  con- 
sideration for  Berlin  to  the  four  winds  and  coming  to  you 
all.  A  very  pretty  Countess  Pourtales  is  here,  but  I  am 
so  bored  that  I  can't  manage  to  fall  in  love  with  her  even 
the  least  little  bit.  Otherwise  I  am  very  well,  and  am 
breathing  the  sea-air  with  delight.  But  one  forgets  en- 
tirely how  to  talk,  among  these  doleful  French,  every  one 
of  whom  fears  to  be  taken  for  less  than  he  would  like,  and 
with  that  idea  stares  at  his  own  nose  and  has  nothing  to 
do  with  anybody  else. 

My  pen  won't  write,  steel  and  sputters!     Farewell,  my 
angel.     I  shall  find  news  from  you  in  Paris  to-morrow,  or, 
if  I  should  go  to  Cherbourg,  then  Thursday.     Lots  of  love. 
Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Blois,  July  25,  '62. 
MY  DEAR  HEART, —  ...  A  strange  mixture  of  outer 
luxury  and  inner  poverty  is  a  French  provincial  town  like 
this.  I  am  sitting  before  a  marble  mantel-piece  with  a 
gold  mirror,  in  front  of  it  a  handsome  clock  which  won't 
go.  I  am  writing  at  an  old  broken  gaming-table,  with  a 
narrow-necked  earthen  bottle  as  inkstand,  in  a  room  ten 
feet  square,  drinking  seltzer  (siphon),  with  sirop  de  gro- 
seilles.  For  affluence  such  a  town  is  far  beyond  one  of 
ours  of  its  size,  but  I  could  not  live  here.  The  disparity, 
not  only  in  education,  but  in  manners  and  good-breeding 

359 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK     [July, 

is  very  appreciable  in  comparison  with  our  customs.  Even 
in  Paris  polite  forms  are  customary  only  in  the  higher 
circles  of  society,  and  just  as  soon  as  you  have  left  the  ban- 
lieue  behind,  you  encounter  a  peasant-like  awkwardness 
in  forms  of  intercourse  beside  which  the  good  tone  of  the 
bourgeoisie  in  Rummelsberg  or  Schlawe  appears  in  brilliant 
light.  The  officers,  too,  whose  fleeting  acquaintance  I 
made  in  the  cafe,  disturb,  b}^  their  bad  manners,  the  feeling 
of  sincere  appreciation  1  have  for  this  really  excellent  army. 
In  a  military  way,  we  can  learn  a  great  deal  from  them, 
and  you  know  my  preference  for  all  soldiers,  but  c'est 
etonnant,  comme  on  est  nial  eleve  et  inhospitalier .  .  .  .  Best 
love  to  parents  and  children. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Bordeaux,  July  27,  '62. 
MY  DEAR  HEART, — You  cannot  refuse  to  testify  that 
I  am  a  good  correspondent;  I  wrote  this  morning  from 
Chenonceaux  to  your  birthday-child,  and  now  this  even- 
ing, from  the  city  of  red  wine,  to  you.  But  these  lines 
will  arrive  a  day  later  than  those,  as  the  mail  does  not 
leave  until  to-morrow  afternoon.  I  left  Paris  only  day 
before  yesterday  noon,  but  it  seems  to  me  a  week.  I  have 
seen  very  beautiful  castles — Chambord,  of  which  the  en- 
closure (torn  out  of  a  book)  gives  only  an  imperfect  idea, 
corresponds,  in  its  desolation,  to  the  fate  of  its  owner  (I 
hope  you  know  it  belongs  to  the  Duke  of  Bordeaux).  In 
the  wide  halls  and  magnificent  rooms,  where  so  many 
kings  kept  their  court,  with  their  mistresses  and  their 
hunting,  the  Duke's  only  furniture  consists  now  of  the 
children's  fcys.  My  guide  took  me  for  a  French  Legiti- 
mist, and  squeezed  out  a  tear  as  she  showed  me  the  little 

360 


1862]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

cannon.  I  paid  for  the  tear-drop,  tariff-wise,  with  an  ex- 
tra franc,  although  it  is  not  my  vocation  to  subsidize  Carl- 
ism.  The  castle  court-yards  lay  in  the  sun  as  quiet  as 
deserted  churches;  there  is  a  distant  view  round  about 
from  the  towers,  but  on  all  sides  silent  woods  and  heather 
to  the  farthest  horizon;  not  a  city,  not  a  village,  not  a 
farm-house,  either  near  the  castle  or  in  the  region  round 
it.  The  enclosed  sprigs,  specimens  of  heather,  will  no  longer 
show  you  how  purple  this  plant  I  love  so  much  blooms 
here,  the  only  flower  in  the  royal  garden,  and  swallows 
the  only  living  creatures  in  the  castle;  it  is  too  solitary 
for  sparrows.  The  situation  of  the  old  castle  of  Amboise  is 
glorious ;  from  the  top  you  can  look  up  and  down  the  Loire 
for  about  thirty  miles.  Coming  from  there  to  this  place  one 
passes  gradually  into  the  south;  wheat  disappears,  giving 
way  to  maize ;  between,  twining  vines  and  chestnut  woods, 
castles  and  country-seats,  with  many  towers,  chimneys, 
and  jutties,  all  white,  with  high-pointed  slate  roofs.  It 
was  boiling  hot,  and  I  was  very  glad  to  have  a  half-coupe 
to  myself.  In  the  evening  glorious  lightning  in  the  whole 
eastern  sky,  and  now  an  agreeable  coolness,  which  I  should 
find  sultry  at  home.  The  sun  set  at  7.35;  in  Petersburg 
one  can  see  now,  without  a  light,  at  eleven  o'clock.  As 
yet  there  is  no  letter  for  me  here ;  perhaps  I  shall  find  one 
in  Bayonne.  I  shall  stay  here  probably  two  days,  to  see 
where  our  wines  grow.  Now,  good-night,  my  angel. 
Dearest  love.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


San  Sebastian,  August  1,  '62. 
MY  DEAR  HEART,— I    could    not    have    believed   last 
year  that  I  should  celebrate  Bill's  birthday  this  time  in 
Spain.     I  shall  not  fail  to  drink  his  health  in  dark  red 

36 1 


THE  LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK       [Aug. 

wine,  and  I  pray  God  earnestly  to  take  and  keep  all  of  you 
under  His  protection ;  it  is  now  half  past  three,  and  I  imag- 
ine you  have  just  got  up  from  table  and  are  sitting  in  the 
front  hall  at  your  coffee,  if  the  sun  permits.  The  sun  is 
probably  not  so  scalding  there  as  it  is  here,  but  it  doesn't 
do  me  any  harm,  and  I  am  feeling  splendidly  well.  The 
route  from  Bayonne  here  is  glorious ;  on  the  left  the  Pyre- 
nees, something  like  the  Dent  du  Midi  and  Moleson,  which, 
however,  are  here  called  "Pie"  and  "Port,"  in  shifting 
Alpine  panorama,  on  the  right  the  shores  of  the  sea,  like 
those  at  Genoa.  The  change  in  entering  Spain  is  sur- 
prising; at  Behobie,  the  last  place  in  France,  one  could 
easily  believe  one's  self  still  on  the  Loire;  in  Fuentarabia 
a  steep  street,  twelve  feet  wide,  every  window  with  bal- 
cony and  curtain,  every  balcony  with  black  eyes  and  man- 
tillas, beauty  and  dirt;  at  the  market-place  drums  and 
fifes,  and  some  hundreds  of  women,  old  and  young,  danc- 
ing a  fandango,  while  the  men  in  their  drapery  looked  on, 
smoking.  Thus  far  the  country  is  exceptionally  beauti- 
ful— green  valleys  and  wooded  slopes,  with  fantastic  lines 
of  fortifications  above  them,  row  after  row;  inlets  of  the 
sea,  with  very  narrow  entrances,  which  cut  deep  into  the 
land,  like  Salzburg  lakes  in  mountain  basins  I  look 
down  on  such  a  one  from  my  window,  separated  from  the 
sea  by  an  island  of  rocks,  set  in  a  steep  frame  of  mountains 
with  woods  and  houses,  below  to  the  left  city  and  harbor. 
My  old  friend  Galen,  who  is  taking  the  baths  here,  with 
wife  and  son,  received  me  most  warmly;  I  bathed  with 
him  at  ten,  and  after  breakfast  we  walked,  or,  rather, 
crawled,  through  the  heat  up  to  the  citadel,  and  sat  for  a 
long  time  on  a  bench  there,  the  sea  a  hundred  feet  be- 
low us,  near  us  a  heavy  fortress-battery,  with  a  singing 
sentry.     This  hill  or  rock  would  be  an  island  did  not  a  low 

362 


1862]      THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

tongue  of  land  connect  it  with  the  mainland.  This  tongue 
of  land  separates  two  inlets  from  each  other,  so  you  get 
towards  the  north  a  distant  view  of  the  sea  from  the  citadel, 
towards  the  east  and  west  a  view  of  both  inlets,  like  two 
Swiss  lakes,  and  towards  the  south  of  the  tongue  of  land, 
with  the  town  on  it,  and  behind  it,  landward,  mountains 
as  high  as  the  heavens.  I  wish  I  could  paint  you  a  picture 
of  it,  and  if  we  both  were  fifteen  years  younger  then  we 
would  take  a  trip  here  together.  To-morrow,  or  day  after, 
I  go  back  to  Bayonne.  ...  I  am  very  much  sunburned,  and 
should  have  liked  best  to  float  on  the  ocean  for  an  hour  to- 
day ;  the  water  bears  me  up  like  a  piece  of  wood.  It  is  still 
just  cool  enough  to  be  pleasant.  By  the  time  one  gets  to 
the  dressing-room  one  is  almost  dry,  and  I  put  on  my  hat, 
only,  and  take  a  walk  in  my  peignoir.  The  ladies  bathe 
fifty  paces  away — custom  of  the  country.  ...  I  do  not  like 
the  Spaniards  so  well  as  I  like  their  country ;  they  are  not 
polite,  talk  too  loud,  and  the  conditions  are  in  many  ways 
behind  those  in  Russia.  Custom-houses  and  passport 
annoyances  without  end,  an  incredible  number  of  turn- 
pike tolls,  four  francs  for  one  hour's  drive,  or  else  1  should 
stay  here  still  longer,  instead  of  bathing  in  Biarritz,  where 
a  bathing-suit  is  necessary.  Love  to  our  dear  parents  and 
children.     Farewell,  my  angel. 

Your  V.  B. 


Biarritz,  August  4,  '62. 
.  .  .  I  am  sitting  in  a  corner  room  of  the  Hotel  del'Europe, 
with  a  charming  lookout  over  the  blue  sea,  which  drives 
its  white  foam  between  wonderful  cliffs  and  against  the 
light-house.  I  have  a  bad  conscience,  seeing  so  many 
beautiful  things  without  you.     If  one  could  only  bring 

363 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK     [Aug. 

you  hither  through  the  air,  I  would  go  right  back  again  to 
San  Sebastian.  Imagine  the  Siebengebirge  with  the 
Drachenfels  placed  by  the  sea;  next  to  it  Ehrenbreit- 
stein,  and  between  the  two  an  arm  of  the  sea,  somewhat 
wider  than  the  Rhine,  forcing  its  way  into  the  land,  and 
forming  a  round  bay  behind  the  mountains.  In  this  you 
bathe  in  water  transparently  clear,  and  so  heavy  and  salty 
that  you  can  lie  easily  right  on  top  of  it  and  can  look 
through  the  wide  gate  of  rocks  to  the  sea,  or  landward, 
where  the  mountain  chains  tower  up  one  after  another 
ever  higher  and  ever  bluer.  The  women  of  the  middle 
and  lower  classes  are  strikingly  pretty,  sometimes  beauti- 
ful; the  men  surly  and  impolite,  and  the  comforts  of  life 
to  which  we  are  accustomed  in  civilized  lands  are  entirely 
lacking.  In  this  respect  I  find  Russia  pleasanter  to  travel 
in  than  Spain.  What  actually  drove  me  out  of  the  country 
was  the  swinishness  in  certain  indispensable  arrangements, 
and  then  the  cheating  in  the  hotels,  and  the  tolls.  The 
heat  there  is  no  worse  than  here,  and  doesn't  bother  me; 
on  the  contrary,  I  am  very  well,  thank  Heaven.  Day  be- 
fore yesterday  there  was  a  storm  whose  like  I  have  never 
seen.  I  had  to  make  three  attempts  before  I  succeeded  in 
climbing  the  flight  of  four  steps  at  the  head  of  the  pier. 
Pieces  of  stone  and  of  trees  flew  through  the  air;  so  I  un- 
fortunately gave  up  my  place  in  a  sailing-vessel  for  Ba- 
yonne,  as  I  didn't  believe  it  possible  that  all  would  be  quiet 
and  cheerful  again  in  four  hours'  time;  so  I  missed  a 
charming  sail  along  the  coast,  stayed  one  day  longer  in 
San  Sebastian,  and  left  yesterday  by  the  diligence,  rather 
uncomfortably  packed  in  between  attractive  little  Spanish 
women,  to  whom  I  could  not  speak  a  single  word.  Still, 
they  understood  Italian  enough  for  me  to  make  clear  to 
them  my  satisfaction  with  their  exterior.     Gr.  Gallen  and 

364 


i862j      THE   LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

wife  were  very  kind  to  me.  As  I  was  looking  for  a  fan,  they 
presented  me  with  theirs  for  you ;  it  is  simple,  but  painted 
in  style  characteristic  of  the  country.  You  would  like  the 
wife  very  much;  he,  too,  is  a  good  fellow,  but  she  amounts 
to  more  intellectually.  1  got  Bernhard's  long-expected 
letter  to-day.  He  looks  very  black  over  politics,  is  ex- 
pecting another  child,  and  is  building  barns  and  stables. 
I  long  for  news  from  you  and  the  children.  .  .  .  Dearest 
love  to  all.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Biarritz,  August  10,  '62. 
MY  BELOVED  HEART, —  ...  I  am  living  about  as  at 
Stolpemiinde,  only  without  champagne;  I  drank  some 
with  Orloff  to-day,  for  the  first  time  since  1  left  Paris.  In 
the  afternoon  I  wander  about  among  the  cliffs,  heaths, 
and  fields,  see  orchards  with  aloe,  figs,  almonds,  and  bor- 
ders of  tamarinds,  then  I  do  some  target-shooting,  take 
my  bath,  sit  on  the  rocks,  smoking,  gazing  at  the  sea,  and 
thinking  of  you  all.  Politics  I  have  entirely  forgotten; 
don't  read  any  papers.  The  15th  has  some  claims  upon 
me;  for  propriety's  sake  I  ought  to  go  to  Paris,  too,  since 
I  am  in  France,  so  as  to  congratulate  the  Emperor,  hear 
his  speech,  and  attend  the  dinner.  But  I  shall  hardly 
bring  myself  to  the  point  of  travelling  over  five  hundred 
miles  and  interrupting  the  air-and-watcr  cure,  which  is 
doing  me  so  much  good  that  1  actually  hate  the  thought 
of  the  dusty,  close  air  of  the  royal  residence.  The  Em- 
peror is  too  reasonable  a  gentleman  to  take  my  absence 
amiss,  and  from  Berlin  I  have  an  honest  leave  of  absence. 
.  .  .  Farewell,  my  angel,  with  dearest  love. 

Your  most  faithful 

v.  B. 
365 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK      [AuG. 

Biarritz,  August  n,  '62. 
MY  BELOVED  HEART, — I  am  hoping  every  day  that 
the  mail  will  bring  a  letter  from  you  here  to  the  shore,  in 
consequence  of  my  asking  you  to  write  via  Paris,  where 
it  is  known  that  1  am  here;  to-morrow,  perhaps!  I  have 
been  without  news  since  1  left  San  Sebastian,  and  may  God 
grant  that  the  next  may  be  good.  It  is  my  fault  for  stay- 
ing here;  but  the  first  baths  in  the  warm,  salty  foam  of 
the  waves  did  me  so  much  good  that  I  stayed,  and  so  it 
is  still ;  after  each  bath  I  feel  a  year  less  in  my  aging  head ; 
and  if  it  should  amount  to  thirty  (seventeen  I  have  taken 
already,  counting  Trouville  and  Sebastian),  you  will  see 
me  again  as  a  Gottingen  student.  Unfortunately,  the 
catch-polls  are  after  me.  A  letter  from  Bernstorff  is  pur- 
suing me,  has  been  announced  to  me  by  telegram,  was 
sent  by  a  lucky  misunderstanding  to  Bagneres  de  Luchon, 
whence  it  cannot  reach  me  for  four  daj^s — mountains  with- 
out railroad  and  daily  mail.  If  it  only  does  not  bring  a 
direct  summons  to  Berlin !  I  am  all  sea-salt  and  sun.  Since 
the  OrlofTs  have  come  I  have  not  wanted  companionship. 
Him  you  know,  and  you  would  like  her  just  as  well.  She 
has  quite  your  distaste  for  court  and  salon,  like  a  Pom- 
eranian damsel  with  just  enough  tincture  of  the  big  world. 
We  walked  to-day  from  seven  to  ten,  over  roads  and  heaths, 
then  till  after  twelve  1  climbed  alone  about  the  cliffs  laid 
bare  by  the  ebb  of  the  tide,  lay  three  hours  lazily  on  the 
sofa,  reading  and  dreaming ;  into  the  water  at  three,  which 
I  should  like  best  never  to  leave ;  I  stayed  in  over  half  an 
hour,  and  since  have  had  the  feeling  that  I  lack  only  wings 
to  fly.  After  dinner  we  rode  along  the  firm  beach  in  the 
moonlight  at  falling  tide,  and  then  I  walked  alone  again. 
You  see  my  old  vigor  is  coming  back  to  me,  and  I  am  full 
of  gratitude  to  God  for  it.     If  1  could  only  know  that  you 

366 


1862]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

are  all  well,  and  that  I  can  go  from  here  to  Reinf eld  without 
getting  stuck  anywhere,  then  everything  would  be  fine 
and  delightful.  It  is  ten  now,  and  I  am  going  to  bed; 
shall  get  up  at  six  and  bathe  twice  to-morrow.  I  talk  only 
of  myself,  as  you  see,  like  an  old  hypochondriac;  but 
what  else  can  I  tell  you  of  this  place,  except  that  air  and 
water  are  like  balsam.  May  God  keep  you  in  just  as  good 
health.     With  heartiest  love  to  all.  Your        V.  B. 


Biarritz,  August  14,  '62. 
MY  DEAR  HEART, — To  my  great  delight,  yesterday 
I  received  at  last  good  news  from  you — your  letter  of  the  9th 
sent  to  Paris.  You  will  have  seen  in  the  meantime,  from 
my  letter,  that  I  have  followed  the  advice  of  you  and  Liep- 
raann*  without  knowing  what  it  was,  and  have  already 
been  here  eleven  days,  during  which  I  have  taken  fourteen 
baths,  besides  these  four  in  Normandy  and  three  in  Spain, 
making  twenty-one,  and  I  shall  probably  bring  it  up  be- 
yond thirty,  as  I  am  now  taking  two  a  day,  the  first  in 
the  morning  at  seven,  then  promenade  till  about  ten,  break- 
fast, a  few  hours'  siesta,  and  reading ;  at  four  another  bath, 
and  after  dinner  a  long  walk,  with  the  sunset  in  the  sea 
and  the  moonrise  over  the  Pyrenees;  all  this  &  trois  with 
the  Orloffs,  since  whose  coming  I  have  not  been  lonely 
any  more.  You  remember  your  partiality  for  him,  and  I 
am  now  revenging  myself  a  little  with  her,  by  finding  her 
very  attractive  and  charming.  We  three  act  as  though 
we  were  alone  here.  .  .  .  Lots  of  love,  and  kiss  all  for  me. 
God  keep  you  as  hitherto. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

•Physician  in  Stolp. 
367 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK      [Aug. 

...  I  am  rather  ashamed  not  to  have  remembered  our 
wedding-day,  and  Frau  Orloff  calls  me  un  monstre  sans 
entrailles  on  account  of  it.  But  you  know  that,  while  my 
heart  is  weak  in  point  of  dates,  it  is  not  ungrateful,  either 
for  God's  mercy  or  for  your  love  and  truth.  It  has  con- 
tinued to  be  with  us  just  as  on  the  day  of  our  wedding, 
and  I  have  never  thought  that  that  was  so  long  ago — five 
or  six  thousand  happy  days.  May  the  Lord  not  consider 
how  unworthy  of  them  I  was,  and  may  He  continue  to  pour 
out  the  fulness  of  His  blessing  upon  us  without  regard  to 
our  deserts.  Every  year  I  come  back  to  the  error  of  be- 
lieving that  we  were  married  in  August,  but,  anyway, 
it  was  a  good  month.  Day  after  to-morrow  I  shall  write 
to  our  firstling.  Your  V.  B. 


Falaise  de  Goelands,  August  19,  '62. 
MY  DEAR  HEART, — You  will  look  in  vain  on  all  the 
maps  for  the  place  I  date  from  above.  About  one  mile 
north  of  Biarritz  is  a  narrow  gorge  in  the  bluff,  grassy, 
bushy,  and  shady,  out  of  everybody's  sight ;  between  two 
rocks,  with  heather  in  blossom,  I  see  the  sea,  green  and 
white  in  foam  and  sun;  beside  me  the  most  charming  of 
all  women,  whom  you  will  like  exceedingly  well  when  you 
know  her  better.  .  .  .  Orloff  is  lying  before  us  on  the 
grass,  smoking,  she  is  writing  to  her  mother,  and  I  to 
you,  my  heart;  you  know  her  very  slightly  from  Peters- 
burg, nee  Trubetzkoi.  Her  parents  live  in  Fontainebleau, 
and  when  you  meet  you  will  forgive  me  for  raving  about 
her  a  bit.  I  am  writing  on  a  book,  not  very  easy  to 
do,  sitting  in  the  grass,  under  tamarind  bushes.  Am 
absurdly  well,  and  as  happy  as  I  could  be  away  from 
you  dear  ones.     Monotonous  country  life,  with  walking- 

368 


i862]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

tours  by  rocks,  bushes,  and  heath.  In  a  few  days  I  shall 
put  an  end  to  this  Robinson  Crusoe  existence,  and  find  in 
the  direction  of  home  my  comfort  for  the  sorrow  at  parting 
from  this  idealized  Stolpmunde,  the  mighty  ocean,  and  the 
charming  Russians.  ...  It  was  a  real  godsend  to  me  that 
the  Orloffs  came,  about  ten  days  ago,  or  I  should  have  left 
then,  and  should  not  have  found  again  in  the  sea  the  health 
of  former  days  and  the  cheerful  spirits.  Outside  of  my 
home — I  will  say  outside  of  six  persons  in  Reinfeld — I  want 
for  not  a  jot  or  a  tittle  of  anything,  and  in  the  end  I  shall 
buy  a  country-seat  here  on  the  heath,  where  we  shall  spend 
our  old  days — eating  peaches  and  muscadine  grapes,  as 
if  they  were  potatoes.  Farewell,  my  heart;  the  wind  is 
tearing  my  paper  away  from  me,  but  it  is  a  warm,  mild 
wind.  Love  a  thousand  times  over  to  parents  and  chil- 
dren. Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Biarritz,  August  22,  '62. 
MY  HEART, — I  cannot  let  our  little  daughter's  birth- 
day go  by  without  writing  you  how  I  have  been  drinking 
her  health.  First,  this  morning,  in  sea-water,  for  the 
warm  waves  were  so  powerful  that,  while  rolling  around 
in  the  sand,  I  took  many  a  swallow  of  them ;  then  in  Ma- 
deira at  breakfast;  and  then  in  wonderful,  soft,  humid 
Atlantic  air  on  a  point  of  rock  extending  out  into  the  sea. 
After  some  hours  of  resting  and  writing  letters  to  Paris 
and  Berlin,  I  took  my  second  drink  of  salt-water,  this  time 
in  the  Narbonne,  without  surf,  with  plenty  of  swimming 
and  diving;  two  surf  baths  in  one  day  would  be  too  much 
for  me.  Then  I  dined  with  Orloff,  and  the  birthday  chil- 
dren were  toasted  royally  with  good  old  Moet  in  Russian, 
German,  and  French.  The  other  child  was  the  sixty-year- 
2A  369 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK      [Aug. 

old  Matv6i  Stepanitsch  Wolkow,  and  his  birthday  was 
really  yesterday,  but  was  celebrated  later,  with  the  other. 
After  dinner  the  Princess  played  to  me,  at  the  open  win- 
dow over  the  sea,  C  dur,  as  dur, ' '  The  Winter  Journey, "  and 
some  of  Chopin;  then  we  went — two  ladies,  three  gentle- 
men, and  several  dogs — to  the  light-house  crag,  ensconced 
ourselves  in  the  heather,  and  watched  stars,  waves,  and 
sea-gulls;  only  the  waves  and  gulls  we  heard  more  than 
saw,  far  below  in  the  darkness,  only  once  in  a  while  a 
wave  flashed  up  to  us  in  foam  and  sea-light,  or  a  gull 
skimmed  by  near  us,  chattering  and  screaming,  probably 
attracted  by  the  light  of  our  cigars.  I  always  go  to  bed 
at  eleven,  often  earlier,  and  wake  up,  myself,  towards  seven. 
My  bed  is  very  mediocre ;  still  I  always  have  to  fight  against 
falling  asleep  before  the  "Amen,"  while  my  +houghts 
linger  with  you  loved  ones  somewhat  longer  than  my 
words.  Keep  on  writing  to  Paris ;  give  lots  of  love  to  all 
From  your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Falaise,  August  25,  '62. 
MY  DEAR  HEART, — I  was  delighted  to  get  your  letter 
of  the  20th,  yesterday,  forwarded  from  Paris.  As  you  are 
still  worried  about  my  health  (which  you  won't  recog- 
nize at  all  when  you  see  it) ,  1  have  asked  Kathy,*  the  love- 
liest of  women  except  one,  to  give  me  the  enclosed  cer- 
tificate of  health.  I  am  writing  to  you  again  in  the  open 
air,  on  the  grass,  as  I  did  recently,  in  warm,  still  air,  over 
the  sea,  which  shows  at  its  edge  three  white,  leaping  waves, 
but  behind  that  stretches  out  blue  and  smooth  into  the 
boundless,  with  fishing-boats'  little  white  sails  on  the  ho- 

*  Princess  Orloff. 
370 


l862J       THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF    BISMARCK 

rizon.  .  .  .  Yesterday  we  drove  to  Cambo,  about  fifteen 
miles  from  Bayonne,  up  the  Nive,  and  spent  the  day  in 
the  mountains,  a  gorge  like  the  valley  of  the  Selke,  called 
Pas  de  Roland,  a  roaring  mountain-stream,  and,  near  by, 
ripe  figs,  plucked  from  the  tree.  On  the  ride  home,  won- 
derful sunset,  with  glowing  Pyrenees,  and  half  Spain  on 
fire  the  other  side  of  the  sea,  then  deep,  very  dark-blue, 
and  fantastic  lace-work  of  boughs  as  in  the  Italian  Alps. 
.  .  .  Day  after  to-morrow  the  Emperor  comes,  then  the  air 
of  the  court  will  draw  through  the  crags  and  ravines,  some 
politics  will  mingle  with  the  idyl,  and  a  few  days  later 
I  shall  start  back  again,  shall  devote  about  a  week  to  the 
Pyrenees,  and  then  try  to  break  through  the  barriers  at  Ber- 
lin, although  the  King,  as  it  seems,  will  not  allow  political 
work  to  pause  at  all.  If  I  still  must  stay  dangling  at  the 
Hotel  Royal,  then  I  can't  help  it,  and  shall  simply  dangle. 
.  .  .  But  if  I  manage  to  go  and  take  you,  either  to  Berlin 
or  Paris,  I  cannot  endure  the  uncertainty  through  Septem- 
ber; rather  Schonhausen.  If  you  want  to  answer  the 
Princess  Orloff  in  a  friendly  way,  then  write  her  in  Ger- 
man; she  speaks  it  as  well  as  we  do,  but  prefers  to  write 
in  French.  Every  day  the  Princess  plays  me  the  Men- 
delssohn pieces  that  the  Bechers  used  to  sing  to  us,  and 
Beethoven  and  the  "Winter  Journey,"  and  is  a  woman 
you  will  be  wildly  enthusiastic  about  when  you  know  her. 
1  learty  love  to  little  and  big. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

Biarritz,  August  30,  '62. 
MY  DEAR  HEART,— I  don't  know  whether  this  letter 
will  be  readable,  for  I  am  writing  on  bare  rock,  with  a  news- 
paper   underneath;    presumably  our    last    breakfast  here 
in  the  open  air.     We  are  sitting  in  a  grotto,  which  has  an 

371 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK      [Aug. 

entrance  from  the  land,  and  has  a  vaulted  opening  to  the 
sea,  forty  feet  above  the  surf,  and  the  rocky  ceiling  above 
is  twice  as  high.  The  glance  strays  over  the  wide  sun- 
bright  sea,  and  over  a  dozen  odd  craggy  islands,  on  which 
the  sea  breaks,  booming :  behind  them  Biarritz  stretching 
out  over  field  and  hill,  and  still  wider  and  higher  the  blue 
chain  of  the  Pyrenees,  a  thick  Taunus-like  mountain, 
over  Fuentarabia,  which  commands  the  centre  of  the  pict- 
ure; to  the  right  of  that  is  spread  out  the  Spanish  coast 
of  St.  Sebastian,  Bilboa,  ever  a  paler  blue  in  the  distance 
until  it  mingles  with  ocean.  It  would  be  wellnigh  im- 
possible to  produce  a  more  charming,  magnificent  picture 
of  sea,  mountain,  crag,  city,  and  sunlight.  Day  after 
to-morrow  the  glory  of  the  shore-life  will  come  to  an  end; 
to-morrow  the  last  bath.  I  cannot  thank  God  enough 
for  the  measure  of  health  that  I  have  found  here,  and  that 
I  did  not  go  to  Luchon,  as  the  Parisian  physician  bade  me : 
there  are  springs  there  that  are  very  effective  against 
gout  and  rheumatism,  but  the  people  that  I  see  coming 
through  this  place  from  there  are  as  limp  and  run-down 
as  ever  any  one  came  from  Carlsbad,  who  did  not  belong 
there.  At  first  I  wanted  to  stay  only  one  day,  then  three ; 
then  I  felt  so  well  after  every  bath  that  I  kept  putting  off 
my  departure  till  the  following  daj^,  no  matter  how  bored 
I  was,  until  the  Orloffs  came;  since  then  I  have  had  com- 
panions in  my  out-of-door  life  and  in  my  enjoyment  of 
nature,  in  which  the  French  and  Spaniards  are  absolutely 
unimpressionable;  they  know  only  dressing  and  the  club, 
and  my  fine  Kathy  wears  such  clothes  that  the  Russian 
ladies  don't  even  look  at  her ;  Aunty"  in  Reinf eld  is  certain- 
ly more  elegant.     But  even  if  she  is  not  dressy,  still  she 

*  Fraulein  von  Reckow. 
372 


1862]      THE  LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

makes  up  for  it  by  playing  to  me  every  evening  all  Bee- 
thoven and  all  the  Bechers'  Mendelssohn  pieces  of  Frank- 
fort days,  and  Leiermann's  "  Winter  Journey."  It  had  to 
be  so,  if  I  was  to  stay  here  four  weeks  and  get  strong; 
otherwise  I  could  never  have  endured  the  casino  life  and 
table  d'hote  and  French  way  of  living.  We  dine  together 
every  day,  mostly  at  the  Orloffs',  and  I  take  my  revenge 
by  little  dinners  in  remote  ravines  and  caves.  If  you 
were  with  us,  you  would  find  this  life  charming,  and  we 
could  continue  it  a  month  longer;  even  up  to  the  15th  of 
November,  the  bathing  goes  on  here  and  the  out-of-door 
life.  Day  after  to-morrow  morning  we  pull  up  stakes 
together  for  Pau,  make  an  excursion  to  Luchon  so  as 
to  see  the  Hochgebirge,  go  from  Toulouse  by  rail  to  Avi- 
gnon, where  we  separate,  and  the  Orloffs  go  to  Italy,  I  to 
Berlin ;  whether  I  go  via.  Paris,  or  direct  by  way  of  Geneva 
and  Frankfort,  depends  still  on  letters  from  the  Ministry, 
which  I  expect  en  route.  The  King's  trip  seems  to  have 
been  entirely  given  up ;  I  am  glad  not  to  have  lost  my  leave 
of  absence  in  Berlin;  as  soon  as  that  is  over,  it  doesn't 
matter  whether  I  get  stuck  fast  in  Paris  or  Berlin ;  on  the 
contrary,  I  should  hope,  from  B.,  to  steal  out  to  Reinfcld 
and  to  decide  my  fate  at  last,  so  that  our  goods  and  chattels 
shall  not  become  ice-bound  at  Bertheau's,  and  so  that  our 
eternal  separation  (almost  four  months)  would  have  an  end. 
May  God  unite  us  soon,  in  good  health;  I  have  been  daw- 
dling about  as  only  an  old  house-dog  of  my  species  could. 
But  now  I  must  get  back  into  the  home  rut.  Give  all 
hearty  love.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

CAUTERETS,  September  2,  '62. 
MY  BELOVED  HEART,— The  small  size  of  this  sheet 
means  that  I  am  very  sleepy,  and  am  to  get  up  early  to- 

373 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK     [Sept. 

morrow ;  but  still  I  do  not  want  to  go  to  sleep  without  send- 
ing you  a  sign  of  life  and  thanking  you  and  Marie  for  your 
last  letters.  We  left  charming  Biarritz  yesterday  morn- 
ing, restored  in  body  and  soul,  spent  the  night  in  Pau, 
had  this  morning  a  view,  somewhat  veiled,  to  be  sure, 
but  still  wonderfully  beautiful,  from  Henry  IV.  's  castle 
to  the  chain  of  the  Pyrenees,  and  then  we  came  here  by 
way  of  Lourdes  and  Pierrefitte,  through  rocky  vales  whose 
character  recalled  the  Jura,  and  then  the  Italian  slopes  of 
the  Alps  in  their  wilder  forms.  .  .  .  We  all  miss  the  sea- 
baths  and  sea-air;  but  as  far  as  my  health  is  concerned  I 
am  transformed  into  an  entirely  different  person ;  neverthe- 
less, from  the  bottom  of  my  heart  I  am  still  ever  and  always 
your  most  faithful,  now  very  weary  V.  B. 


Berlin,  September  21,  '62. 
MY  BELOVED  HEART,  —  I  reached  here  yesterday 
morning,  rather  tired  from  the  jolting  of  a  wagon  which 
played  ball  with  me  from  Paris  to  Cologne.  I  should  have 
slept  it  off  here,  but  I  find  myself  in  just  the  same  situation 
as  in  the  month  of  May.  Heydt  and  Bernstorff  have 
asked  for  leave:  the  request  of  the  former  the  King  simply 
returned ;  what  happened  to  the  latter  I  don't  know  at  all, 
and  have  not  yet  seen  the  King.  I  shall  simply  ask  his 
Majesty  to  permit  me  to  go  to  Reinfeld  to  get  my  family  and 
take  them  to  Paris.  If  I  have  to  enter  on  my  duties  here 
immediately,  then  I  must  go  next  to  France,  to  hand  over 
my  letters  of  recall.  If  affairs  here  remain  in  suspense 
as  they  have  been  hitherto,  and  I  go  back  to  Paris  with 
no  definite  time  fixed  for  ending  my  mission  there,  then  I 
believe  that  in  a  few  weeks  we  shall  move  thither.  I  would 
then  accept  no  position  but  that  in  Paris  for  the  next  six 

374 


1862]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

months.  Our  mission  there  is  now  raised  to  an  embassy, 
and  if  you  come  you  will  be  formally  presented  as  ambas- 
sadrice  before  an  empty  throne,  and  will  have  to  go  through 
all  sorts  of  troublesome  ceremonies  besides,  like  Frau 
Montebello  and  Lady  Napier.  Much  honor,  little  pleasure, 
yet  on  the  whole  much  pleasanter  than  here.  Yesterday 
morning,  on  arriving,  I  walked  over  to  call  on  Roon,  heard 
from  him  how  matters  stand,  took  coffee  with  the  ladies, 
but  was  so  shocked,  on  glancing  at  the  mirror,  by  the 
chimney-sweep  color  which  the  twenty-five-hours-old  coal- 
dust  had  laid  on  my  face,  that  I  took  flight  at  once,  bathed, 
slept  two  hours,  and  then  paid  a  few  ministerial  and  diplo- 
matic visits.  Hans  came  to  see  me  beforehand,  full  of 
political  schemes.  I  dined  at  five  at  Roon's,  with  Moritz, 
who  was  in  the  wildest  embellishment  of  beard,  which 
draws  his  already  heavy  chin  too  low  down  on  his  shoul- 
ders to  suit  my  artistic  eye.  He  thought  me  thin  and 
burned  as  though  I  had  crossed  the  desert  on  camels, 
but  all  agree  with  him  that  I  look  better  than  for 
years.  I  passed  the  evening  there;  went  to  bed  at 
eleven  o'clock  and  slept  until  seven,  with  all  sorts  of 
dreams  of  Southern  sky,  rocks,  and  fig-tree  shades,  till 
I  awoke  on  the  Wilhelmstrasse  in  the  dingy  reality  of  a 
rainy  day  in  autumn.  I  must  go  to  Reinfeld,  and  soon. 
I  am  getting  melancholy  here;  rather  at  once  into  the 
Chamber,  into  strife  and  work,  than  this  loafing  hotel  and 
calling  existence.  I  expect  Roon  back  from  Babelsberg 
at  three,  and  hope  for  news  of  the  King.  I  am  going  over 
to  call  on  Schlozer  at  60  Behrenstr.,  then  on  Schleinitz, 
and  others.  I  hope  a  letter  from  you  is  on  its  way  here, 
bringing  me  good  news.  Dearest  love  to  all  our  family. 
Moritz  tells  me  that  Theresa  is  there,  and  that  mammy  is 
better,  thank  Heaven.  Your  most  faithful         V.   B. 

375 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS  OF  BISMARCK       [Oct. 

Berlin,  September  24,  '62. 
MY  BELOVED  HEART, — I  am  worried  a  little  because 
I  still  receive  not  a  living  word  from  you.  My  Paris  letter 
to  mother  and  to  you,  in  which  I  said  I  was  coming  here, 
must  surely  have  reached  you  on  Sunday,  at  latest,  for  it 
left  Paris  on  Wednesday  or  Thursday.  You  will  already 
have  read  of  our  bad  luck  in  the  papers.  I  have  been 
appointed  Minister,  with  provisional  chairmanship  until 
Prince  Hohenzollern  has  secured  his  discharge;  then  I 
shall  become  definitely  Minister-president,  and  later  am 
to  take  the  Foreign  Office.  To-day  I  move  over  to  No. 
47,  where  Auerswald  used  to  live.  All  this  is  not  cheering, 
and  I  am  struck  with  fear  about  it  every  time  I  wake  up 
in  the  morning.  But  it  must  be.  I  am  in  no  condition 
to  write  you  now  more  than  these  lines.  I  am  besieged  on 
all  sides  with  business  affairs  of  every  kind,  and  cannot 
leave  Berlin  for  the  next  few  weeks.  .  .  .  Dearest  love 
to  parents  and  children,  and  give  yourself  into  God's 
hands;  this  is  no  easy  matter  for  me  either.  Above  all, 
please  write  me  at  once,  if  you  have  not  done  so  already. 
Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


October  I,  '62. 
MY  DEAREST  HEART,— Now  for  the  first  time  I  rec- 
ognize the  deep  wisdom  of  the  saying :  "In  the  morning  at 
eight,  when  as  yet  none  thought  evil. "  I  got  up  at  seven, 
and  have  time  at  eight  to  send  you  two  lines  with  my  dearest 
love,  for  the  world  as  yet  leaves  me  in  peace.  The  Lord 
has  never  yet  forsaken  me  in  an  unexpected  and  unsought 
position,  and  my  trust  stands  firm  that  He  will  not  let 
evil  come  upon  me  in  this  place,  or  upon  my  health  either. 
I  sleep  little,  but  feel  well,  ride  every  day  on  horses  from 

376 


I'RINCK    IIISMAKCK 


1862]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

the  royal  stables  in  the  Thiergarten,  and  dine  at  Roon's, 
when  I  am  not  invited  out.  We  cannot  move  in  here  until 
the  Houses  are  dissolved,  about  the  15th.  I  could  not  en- 
dure the  double  confusion  of  the  Chamber  without  and 
the  moving  within.  As  soon  as  our  things  from  Peters- 
burg are  here,  I  shall  write  asking  you  to  stay  here  with- 
out unpacking  for  a  few  days,  so  as  to  talk  over  every- 
thing and  to  see  each  other  at  last.  Farewell,  my  heart, 
and  do  not  be  cast  down.     Dearest  love. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


(Without  date  :  probably  October  12,  '62.) 
My  HEART, — Please  come  now!  We  close  Tuesday, 
God  willing;  telegraph  me  from  Coslin  the  hour  you  will 
arrive,  so  that  I  can  meet  you.  If  you  have  procured  a 
good,  respectable -looking  servant  there,  bring  him  with 
you.     Note  to  Rode  attended  to. 

Your  v.  B. 

Come  straight  off,  my  angel ! 

Friday. 
(Postmarked  BERLIN,  October  24.) 

MY  DEAREST  HEART, — It  is  horribly  empty  here,  and 
I  am  painfully  homesick  for  you,  and  for  the  conscious- 
ness that  you  are  sitting  in  the  little  room  near  by,  and 
I  could  go  to  you  if  I  would.  I  dined  with  the  King,  with 
Netherlands  royalties,  did  not  get  a  ride,  and  am  writing 
letter  after  letter.  For  you  only  this  hearty  greeting  and 
sigh.  I  go  Monday  to  Paris.  To-morrow  three  deputa- 
tions again,  and  one  Grand  Duke.  Lots  of  love  to  parents 
and  children,  and  how  about  the  fine  horses? 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

377 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK  [Nov. '62 

Paris,  November  2,  '62. 
My  DARLING, — Your  crinoline  desires  I  cannot  satisfy. 
Yesterday  was  All-Saints '-Day,  to-day  Sunday  and  All- 
Souls';  all  shops  closed,  and  not  a  lady  at  hand  who  could 
give  me  information.  .  .  .  Yesterday  I  had  a  farewell  audi- 
ence at  St.  Cloud  with  Emperor  and  Empress,  everything 
lovely  and  regretful;  calls  and  business  all  day  long. 
This  morning  I  might  have  left,  but  I  want  to  rest  a  day 
longer,  and  am  expecting  the  Orloffs  in  the  city  to-day, 
to  dine  with  them.  I  leave  to-morrow  morning,  reach 
Magdeburg  Tuesday  morning,  go  to  bed  there,  and  expect 
his  Majesty  at  two  o'clock;  after  dinner  we  go  to  Letz- 
lingen,  three  fine  days  in  forest  and  hunting,  and  then 
back  to  the  tread-mill.  I  shall  be  installed  about  the  8th. 
Lots  of  work  is  waiting  for  us !  Do  please  do  me  the  favor, 
I  pray,  of  not  sealing  your  letters  clear  up  to  the  top;  I 
always  have  to  tear  them  across,  and  read  them  piece- 
meal! The  weather  is  foggy,  oppressive,  and  not  a  bit 
pleasant  for  travelling;  I  should  like  best  to  be  on  some 
bench  by  the  stove,  where  I  did  not  have  to  stir  until  sum- 
mer. Again  this  year  I  have  covered  more  than  10,000 
miles,  and  there  is  no  telling  where  my  home  is  any  more. 
In  two  weeks,  or  in  one,  we  shall  all  be  together  again, 
with  God's  help,  and  then  I  shall  lock  myself  in  with  you 
and  shall  never  be  at  home  to  any  one.  Meanwhile  give 
dearest  love  to  parents  and  children. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


itt> 

LETTERS    WRITTEN    WHILE    MINISTER- 
PRESIDENT  AND  IMPERIAL  CHANCELLOR 

1863-1888 


Carlsbad,  June  24,  '63. 
My  BELOVED  HEART, — You  will  have  received  my  lines 
from  Schwarzenberg  to-day,  and  have  been  informed  by 
telegram  of  my  arrival  here.  The  King  is  well,  still  it 
is  getting  to  be  difficult  to  keep  his  craving  for  business 
within  the  bounds  necessary  for  the  cure,  and  I  fear  that 
as  the  cure  progresses  he  will  want  to  work  just  as  much 
as  he  is  working  now,  and  that  will  not  do.  I  left  Schwarz- 
enberg to-day  at  seven ;  beautiful  region ;  good  weather, 
but  cold ;  cloak  and  plaid  very  useful.  I  am  staying  at  the 
White  Lion;  in  front  I  look  down  on  the  market-place; 
in  the  rear  straight  down  into  the  water — I  don't  know 
what  the  thing  is  called — and  over  that  at  the  big  church ; 
on  the  right,  into  the  King's  windows,  between  them  three 
pheasants,  swan,  city  of  Frankfort,  etc.  This  will  give 
you  the  bearings;  the  apartment  is  pretty;  two  stories, 
airy.  I  dined  with  the  King;  drank  coffee  on  the  lawn 
with  Aug.  Malzan,  Perpoucher,  etc. ;  promenaded  over 
the  hills;  saw  Nolde  at  the  shooting-gallery,  and  recog- 
nized most  cordially  a  Baroness  Scholl  from  Frankfort, 
whom  I  had  absolutely  forgotten;  the  valley  is  beautiful, 
especially  from  above.  Well,  good-bye ;  I  must  go  to  the 
King  for  tea.  Dearest  love  to  mother  and  the  children. 
Your  most  faithful,  V.  B. 

Where  did  you  stay  here? 

Send  me  by  the  next  chasseur  some  French  visiting- 
cards  on  which  is  "  Presid.  du  conseil  et  Min.  des  a.-6tr.  de 
SaM.  leRoidePrusse." 

38i 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK     [June, 

Carlsbad,  June  27,  '63. 
My  DARLING, — I  received  your  undated  letter  yester- 
day. That  you  pay  parting  respects  in  Potsdam  (Alex- 
andrine, Queen  Dowager,  Crown  Princess,  Friedrich  Carl) 
is  very  suitable.  Arrange  it  in  the  form  of  questions; 
write  to  the  court  ladies :  "  You  are  going  for  a  few  months 
into  the  country,  and  would  your  Royal  Highnesses  be  so 
gracious  as  to  receive  me  in  order  to  give  me  leave  to 
depart?"  I  suppose  it  will  not  be  possible  to  go  with  the 
Crown  Princess,  as  she  wants  to  leave  on  the  1st ;  and  you 
cannot  get  off  so  soon,  I  suppose,  unless  our  beloved 
mammy  feels  well  enough  to  travel.  It  won't  really  be  very 
dreadful  if  you  do  not  get  to  Potsdam.  Box  for  opera- 
hat  must  be  there,  as  Bodelschwingh  would  say;  it  doesn't 
look  like  a  hat-box,  is  quite  flat,  like  a  bed-pan,  and  red. 
Farewell;  God  keep  you  and  mother  and  children.  I  am 
going  to  walk  for  two  hours.  No  assassins  here;  good 
police.  The  Emperor  has  given  notice  that  he  is  coming; 
day  still  uncertain.  Your  V.  B. 

Please  send  me  two  dozen  photographs  of  myself  in 
plain  clothes.  I  am  in  furious  demand  here,  and  can  be 
had  only  in  uniform. 

Carlsbad,  June  28,  '63. 
My  DEAR, — The  enclosed  bread-and-butter  letter  came 
to  me  by  mistake.  I  dined  to-day  with  Helen*  whose  very 
good  cigar  I  am  still  smoking ;  Keudell,  too ;  he  must  marry 
Rhaden's  daughter.  Aside  from  that,  I  didn't  go  out 
to-day  at  all,  although  the  weather's  charming,  so  I  will 
rather  think  of  you  on  top  of  the  mountains  than  spill  ink 

*  Grand  Duchess. 
382 


1863]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

here  any  longer.     Hug  the  children  for  me,  and  remain 
in  God's  protection.  Your  most  faithful         V.  B. 

If  there  are  more  photos  of  me,  send  them;    they  are 
tearing  off  my  coat-tails  here  for  them. 


Carlsbad,  July  7,  '63. 

MY  DEAR  HEART,— This  letter,  I  presume,  will  find  you 
no  longer  in  Berlin.  I  shall  probably  have  news  from  you 
about  that  to-morrow.  God  grant  you  a  safe  journey 
with  bag  and  baggage  (under  which  I  involuntarily  in- 
clude mammy).  .  .  .  Disraeli  is  leader  of  the  Conserva- 
tive opposition  in  England,  something  like  Stahl  against 
the  Auerswald  ministry,  and  is  also  a  baptized  Jew,  like 
Stahl. 

Aunty  has  my  warmest  sympathy ;  it  is  worse  to  lose 
children  than  to  die  one's  self,  it  is  so  contrary  to  the  nat- 
ural course  of  things.  But  how  long  is  it  till  we  follow 
them?  .  .  . 

Nuremberg,  July  19,  '63. 
MY  DEAR  HEART, — .  .  .  Engel  hasn't  a  clean  shirt  in  the 
bag  and  the  luggage  is  at  the  station,  so  that  I  am  sitting 
here  in  railway-dust  and  discomfort,  waiting  for  a  dinner 
which  will  presumably  be  bad.  I  have  no  news  of  you 
since  I  left  Carlsbad,  of  course,  as  letters  have  not  been 
forwarded  to  me  from  there.  With  God's  help,  you  will 
all  be  well.  What  shall  I  give  Bill  for  his  birthday? 
Travelling  agrees  with  rne  splendidly  ;  but  it  is  very  annoy- 
ing to  be  gaped  at  like  a  Japanese  at  every  station  ;  it  is 
all  over  with  the  incognito  and  its  pleasant  features,  until 
I  pass  out  of  ken,  like  Fra  Diavolo,  and  somebody  else  has 

&3 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK      [Aug. 

the  advantage  of  being  the  object  of  general  ill-will.  I 
should  have  liked  very  much  to  go  by  Vienna  to  Salzburg, 
where  the  King  is  to  be  to-morrow ;  I  should  have  lived  our 
wedding-trip  over  again ;  but  political  considerations  kept 
me  from  it,  for  people  would  have  ascribed  to  me  Heaven 
only  knows  what  schemes  if  I  had  arrived  there  simul- 
taneously with  the  Russian  replies.  .  .  .  Dearest  love  to 
old  and  young.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

Salzburg,  July  22,  '63,  6  a.m. 
My  DEAR  HEART, — I  must  send  you  the  date  at  least 
from  this  charming  little  town,  at  the  moment  of  leaving. 

Gastein,  24th. 
I  wanted  to  send  you  some  edelweiss  with  this  letter, 
but  I  mislaid  it  at  the  Lueg  Pass.  .  .  .  The  King  is 
well,  but  the  affair  of  the  Crown  Prince  is  gnawing  at 
his  heart.  Since  the  day  I  left  Carlsbad,  when  a  paper 
accidentally  found  its  way  into  his  hands  with  those 
things  in  it  which  we  had  carefully  kept  from  him,  his 
good  humor  seems  to  be  gone;  he  is  quiet  and  brood- 
ing, and  forces  himself  to  be  gay!  It  makes  one's  heart 
ache  to  see  how  he  rights  down  his  feelings,  but  likes  to 
be  alone.  The  exposure  seems  to  come  entirely  from  Co- 
burg.  I  must  write  for  the  chasseur,  and  these  words 
are  only  to  say  that  I  am  well,  and  to  carry  you  hearty  love. 
Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

Gastein,  August  12,  '63. 

I  am  well,  my  heart,  but  bothered  with  messages  from 

all  directions.     Yesterday,  at  a  height  of  7000  feet,  I  shot 

two  chamois;  to  do  it  had  to  sit  three  hours  on  the  rocks 

in  the  burning  heat ;  baked  through  in  spite  of  the  height. 

384 


1863]      THE  LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

On  the  15th  we  go  from  here  to  Salzburg,  16th  Stuttgart, 
17th  Baden.  I  cannot  leave  the  King,  on  account  of  the 
blustering  at  Frankfort.  H.  R.  H.  here;  leaves  in  half 
an  hour;  very  friendly  towards  me,  but  cool  relations 
yonder.     Farewell!     Zietel  is  urging  me  to  close. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


BUKOW,  September  21,  '63. 

MY  BELOVED  HEART, — I  wanted  to  write  you  a  right 
comfortable,  nice  letter  on  this  last  day  of  summer,  and 
with  this  thought  I  lay  down  three  hours  ago  on  the  sofa, 
but  went  to  sleep  and  have  just  waked  up,  when  I  have 
only  a  quarter  of  an  hour  left  before  dinner,  which  is  at 
six.  I  turned  out  at  seven,  rode  uninterruptedly  till  half 
past  one,  as  "major/'  to  see  our  brave  soldiers  burn  pow- 
der and  ride  to  the  attack.  At  first  I  joined  Fritz,  who 
was  commanding  three  regiments  of  cavalry ;  then  I  went 
over  to  the  Garde  du  Corps,  chased  like  mad  over  stock 
and  stone,  and  have  not  passed  such  a  pleasant  day 
for  a  long  time.  I  am  living  here  next  to  the  King  and 
two  adjutants,  in  a  nice  old  house  belonging  to  Count 
Flemming,  the  ambassador  and  cellist :  pretty  country, 
with  hills,  lakes,  and  roads,  and,  above  all,  nothing  to  do, 
after  finishing  my  business  with  his  Majesty  yesterday.  I 
am  sorry  to  say  I  must  get  back  to  the  tread-mill  to-morrow 
morning;  and  now  to  dinner,  after  having  .slept  myself 
stupid  and  meanwhile  got  a  stiff  neck  from  the  sharp  edge 
of  the  sofa.  We  have  eighty  persons  at  table,  all  sorts  of 
strange  officers,  funny  English,  very  nice  Russians,  and 
the  whole  wretched  Diet. 

I  have  no  plain  clothes  along ;  have  been  all  major  for 
forty-eight  hours.  It  seems  to  me  all  the  time  as  though 
2  B  385 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Oct. 

dear  mother  must  be  going  to  see  this  letter,  and  to  rejoice 
that  things  are  going  well  and  peacefully  with  me;  but 
her  large  blue  eyes  are  closed  and  her  short  little  arm  will 
not  hold  this  paper  up  to  them.  Give  love  to  father  and 
the  children.     I  must  dress. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Berlin,  October  21,  '63. 
MY  BELOVED  HEART,— Your  little  circular  letter  I 
have  received  with  thanks  and  sent  off.  I  have  just  come 
in  from  riding;  glorious,  still,  mild  autumn  air;  feel  just 
like  a  fox-hunt.  I  expect  Keudell,  Zietel,  and  others  to 
dinner  at  five;  in  the  minute  between  I  am  writing  you 
this,  because  I  am  going  to  Magdeburg  to-morrow  with 
his  Majesty  to  dedication  of  Cathedral,  and  shall  not 
write.  If  our  dad  feels  very  badly  about  your  going  away 
on  the  27th,  then  leave  me  alone  another  week  or  so ;  I 
sha'n't  get  away  from  my  work-room  and  the  sessions  of 
the  Ministry,  anyway,  while  the  Chamber  is  opening. 
I  shall  be  heartily  glad  if  you  come  earlier,  but  will  not  be 
selfish  to  our  lonely  old  dad.  I  am  very  well,  but  am  get- 
ting buried  deeper  and  deeper  in  documents.  Hearty  love  to 
father  and  children.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

I  have  had  an  awfully  sad  letter  from  Canitz!  I  don't 
want  at  all  to  send  it  to  you,  and  don't  know  how  to  an- 
swer it. 

Berlin,  October  27,  '63. 
MY  HEART, — It  is  bitter  cold,  but  I  am  well.     Have 
you  begun  heating  yet  at  Reinfeld?     I  hope  so;  we  have 
been  doing  it  here  for  a  week.     I  was  sitting  alone  with 

386 


1863]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

Keudell  in  the  blue  salon  yesterday  after  dinner,  and  he 
was  playing,  when  I  got  your  Sunday's  letter.  Truly 
a  fine  holiday  mood  in  which  you  wrote!  Trust  in  God, 
my  heart,  and  in  the  saying  that  barking  dogs  do  not  bite. 
I  did  not  escort  the  King  to  Stralsund,  because  it  is  a  fa- 
tiguing trip  and  would  set  me  back  two  days  in  my  work. 
His  Majesty  is  here  again  this  evening ;  the  threats  against 
his  life  are  far  more  to  be  feared  than  those  directed  against 
me,  but  that,  too,  is  in  God's  hand  only.  Do  not  let  worn- 
spoil  the  last  fine  days  for  you,  and  when  you  do  break  up 
there,  then  send  some  woman  or  other  ahead  to  arrange 
things  here  as  you  wish  them.  I  must  to  work.  Farewell, 
with  much  love.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

Only  about  thirty-eight  degrees  to-day,  and  glistening 
sun.  I  got  this*  anonymously,  twice  from  different  direc- 
tions. 

BABELSBERG,  November  I,  '63. 
MY  BELOVED  HEART, — I  am  going  to  use  a  moment, 
while  waiting  here  for  the  King,  who  is  dining  at  Sans 
Souci,  to  write  you  two  words,  as  I  used  to  do  from  Zarskoe 
or  Peter hof.  Only  to  say  that  I  am  well  and  am  heartily 
glad  that  I  am  now  so  soon  to  see  you  holding  sway  again 
in  the  empty  Berlin  rooms.  The  Diet  comes  on  the  9th, 
with  all  its  torments;  still  I  expect  to  go  on  the  opening 
day  to  Letzlingen  with  his  Majesty,  and  to  live  two  days  in 
the  woods.  During  that  time  I  hope  you  will  get  through 
with  the  hammering  and  hauling  which  will  necessarily 
accompany  your  moving  in,  my  love,  and  then  on  my 
return  I  shall  find  everything  in  order. 

•Psalm  xci.,  enclosed,  written  by  a  lady's  hand. 

3*7 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK     [July, 

During  these  days  I  have  been  living  and  working  en- 
tirely by  myself,  have  eaten  alone  generally,  and  except 
for  riding  have  not  left  the  house;  quiet  and  irksome,  once 
in  a  while  a  council  of  ministers.  These  will  be  held  every 
day  this  week,  I  suppose,  in  view  of  the  dear  Chambers, 
and  after  the  King  has  been  a  week  in  Stralsund  and  Blank- 
enburg  and  much  put  in  store.  I  hear  the  rolling  of  his 
carriage  now  and  must  close.  With  hearty  love  to  dad  and 
the  children.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Carlsbad,  July  8,  '64. 
MY  BELOVED  HEART, — I  have  received  your  Kroch- 
lendorf  letter  with  thanks,  and  the  courier  gives  me  a 
few  minutes  to  write,  after  finishing  my  work.  I  am 
going  to  use  them  to  complain  of  the  weather;  it  rains 
day  and  night,  and  is  so  cold  that  I  have  had  to  have  my 
rooms  heated  every  morning  for  four  days;  all  the  world 
is  catching  cold.  I  have  such  a  bad  one  that  I  can't  see 
out  of  my  eyes  —  catarrh,  as  the  book  says.  ...  I  found 
a  splendid  pretext  for  shaking  off  King  Otto,  from  whom 
I  am  never  safe  when  I  go  to  walk ;  hereafter  1  shall  make 
the  most  of  it.  Lauer  had  to  declare,  in  his  medical  capac- 
ity, that  I  should  do  very  little  talking,  and  thus  I  keep 
clear  of  all  conversation.  ...  I  associate  with  nobody 
here,  really;  since  the  Stolypin  woman  took  advantage 
of  a  rainy  walk  over  the  hills,  which  I  was  foolish  enough 
to  take  with  her,  and  used  it  for  politics  from  beginning 
to  end,  I  trust  nobody  any  more,  but  sneak  through 
covered  paths  towards  the  less  respectable  side  (Eger  Val- 
ley), and  away,  where  one  meets  only  peasants,  and  I 
climb  up  undiscovered  mountains  through  pathless  wa}7s! 
And  still  this  didn't  prevent  me   from  meeting   Sigmund 

388 


i864]       THE  LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

Arnim  in  the  thick  woods,  on  a  spot  where  no  one  with 
gloves  had  ever  been  before ;  and,  of  course,  he  accompanied 
me  for  two  hours,  as  he  couldn't  find  his  way  home  with- 
out me.  Pardon  this  torn  sheet.  I  began  writing  on  it 
to  Eulenburg.  Dearest  love  to  all  of  you,  especially  dad. 
Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Carlsbad,  July  20,  '64. 

MY  BELOVED  HEART,— The  King  has  just  left  for 
Marienbad;  trains  of  lovely  women  with  enormous  bou- 
quets, which  filled  his  carriage  to  overflowing;  a  grand 
hurrah  and  emotion.  Now  things  will  seem  rather  empty 
to  me;  all  acquaintances  gone,  too,  except  Abeken  and 
Keudell.  They  are  dining  now;  I  have  done  so  already 
— with  the  King.  lie  thanked  me,  in  saying  good-bye, 
and  was  much  moved,  and  gave  me  all  the  credit  for  the 
good  that  God's  help  has  done  to  Prussia.  May  God 
preserve  us,  continue  mercifully  to  guide  us,  and  not 
leave  us  to  our  own  blindness.  In  this  calling  one  truly 
learns  that  one  may  be  as  clever  as  the  cleverer  of  this 
world,  and  still,  at  any  time,  may  go  into  the  next  moment 
as  a  child  into  the  dark.  Well,  to  Vienna  to-morrow  morn- 
ing ;  we  spend  the  night  at  Prague ;  perhaps  we  may  have 
peace  with  the  Danes  in  a  week;  perhaps  still  war  next 
winter.  I  shall  make  my  stay  in  Vienna  as  short  as  pos- 
sible, so  as  not  to  lose  too  many  baths  in  Gastein.  After 
that  I  shall,  I  suppose,  go  to  Vienna  again  with  his  Maj- 
esty; thence  to  Baden;  then  the  Emperor  of  Russia  is 
coming  to  Berlin,  at  the  beginning  of  September.  Before 
that  no  prospect  of  rest,  if  then. 

Interruption  after  interruption!  And  now  it  is  five, 
and  at  six  Itzenplitz,  and  then  Helen,  and  then  the  mail 

389 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK     [July, 

goes  out.     So  farewell,  my  heart;  I  want  to  walk  an  hour 
now,  the  first  to-day.     God  be  with  you  all. 

Yours,  V.  B. 


Vienna,  July  22,  '64. 
MY  DEAR  HEART,— I  left  Carlsbad  this  morning.  .  .  . 
I  am  staying  at  Werther's,  whose  wife  is  not  here;  mean- 
while have  seen  nobody  but  Rechberg — and  a  letter  from 
Motley.  Was  rained  in  at  the  Volksgarten  for  two  hours, 
and  listened  to  music ;  the  people  looked  at  me  as  though 
I  were  a  new  rhinoceros  for  the  zoological  garden,  for 
which  I  sought  consolation  in  some  very  good  beer.  I 
can't  yet  tell  how  long  I  shall  stay  here.  A  great  many 
calls  to  make  to-morrow;  dine  at  Rechberg's,  in  the  coun- 
try; then,  if  possible,  conclude  peace  with  Denmark,  and 
flee  in  all  haste  into  the  mountains  of  Gastein.  I  wish 
all  that  were  over  and  done.  The  two  days  of  travel  have 
rested  me  a  little,  mentally,  but  physically  I  am  very  tired, 
and  bid  you  good -night.  God  keep  you  and  all  who 
are  under  the  Reinfeld  roof.  You  will,  perhaps,  have  this 
letter  by  Monday  evening;  write  me,  then,  your  next  to 
this  place  still.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Vienna,  July  27,  '64. 
MY  BELOVED  HEART, — I  have  had  one  letter  from  you 
here,  and  am  longing  for  the  second.  I  am  leading  a 
laborious  life — four  hours  daily  with  unmanageable  Danes, 
and  not  yet  through.  It  must  be  settled  by  Sundaj?, 
whether  war  or  peace.  I  dined  with  Motley  yesterday; 
very  agreeable  wife;  evidently  has  been  a  beauty;  two 
nice  daughters;   the  oldest  and  handsomest  visiting  in 

390 


1864]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK 

America.  We  drank  a  great  deal,  were  very  merry — 
which  is  not  often  so  with  him  during  these  war  troubles. 
He  has  grown  gray,  and  has  cut  his  hair  off  short.  After 
the  conference  to-day,  I  dined  with  the  Emperor  at  Schon- 
brunn,  took  a  stroll  with  Rechberg  and  Werther,  and  thought 
of  our  moonlight  expedition.  I  just  spent  an  hour  in  the 
Volksgarten,  not  incognito,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  as  seven- 
teen years  ago,  but  stared  at  by  all  the  world.  Music  of 
a  Hungarian  regiment  played  a  Prussian  song  in  my 
honor,  and  the  leader  explained  to  me  in  broken  German 
that  his  sympathies  were  Prussian.  The  Prussian  song 
again  while  we  were  leaving ;  very  well-meant  of  the  bearded 
rascals,  with  their  narrow  blue  trousers ;  but  this  existence 
on  the  stage  is  very  uncomfortable  when  one  wants  to  drink 
a  glass  of  beer  in  peace.  I  hope  to  go  to  Gastein  on  Satur- 
day, whether  there  is  peace  or  not.  It's  too  hot  for  me 
here,  especially  at  night.  Kurt*  has  just  come  in  with 
a  lot  of  signatures,  and  so  I  bid  you  good-night,  with 
love  one  thousand  times  over. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Gastein,  August  6,  '64. 
MY  BELOVED  HEART, — The  work  is  growing  worse 
and  worse,  and  I  don't  see  at  all  how  I  am  going  to  get 
time  for  it  here,  where  I  do  nothing  in  the  morning  after 
my  bath.  Since  my  arrival  on  the  2d,  in  a  storm  with 
hail  as  big  as  musket- balls,  I  have  just  managed  for 
the  first  time  to  take  a  regular  hour's  walk  in  glorious 
weather.  Returning,  I  wanted  to  make  use  of  half  an 
hour  to  write  to  you,  but,  behold,  in  walks  that  Abeken 

•Chancery  servant. 
391 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK     [Sept. 

with  drafts  and  telegrams,  and  now  I  have  to  go  to  the 
King.  Dinner  and  tea  every  day,  between  times  driving 
with  his  Majesty,  is  all  very  nice,  and  I  am  glad  to  see 
the  King  so  well  and  in  such  good  spirits,  but  the  time, 
the  time!  .  .  .  Farewell  my  heart,  God  guard  you.  Write! 
With  much  love. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


SCHONBRUNN,  August  20,  '64. 
MY  BELOVED  HEART,— It  is  most  remarkable  that  I 
happen  to  be  staying  in  just  those  rooms,  on  the  ground 
floor,  which  open  on  the  retired  private  garden  into  which 
we  intruded  by  moonlight  almost  exactly  seventeen  years 
ago.  Looking  over  my  right  shoulder,  I  see  through  a 
glass  door  along  the  dark  path  hedged  with  beeches  by 
which,  secretly  enjoying  what  was  forbidden,  we  wandered 
up  to  the  glass  windows,  behind  which  I  am  living.  It 
was  then  one  of  the  Empress's  apartments,  and  I  am  now 
repeating  by  moonlight,  in  more  comfort,  that  former  stroll 
of  ours.  I  am  now  thoroughly  sleepy;  wish  you  and  all 
the  family  good-night. 

Your  most  faithful         V.  B. 


BADEN,  September  1,  '64. 
MY  BELOVED  HE  ART,  —  Yesterday  I  received  Bill's 
letter  with  your  postscript,  and  am  awaiting  a  telegraphic 
answer  about  your  condition  with  some  anxiety,  for  you 
are  so  very  ready  to  report  yourself  not  sick,  and  it  must 
take  strong  hold  on  you  before  you  fall  silent.  May 
God  help  you  speedily  and  completely.  I  can  hardly 
expect  an  answer  before  evening,  since,  there  being  no 

392 


i864]      THE    LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

telegraph  open  at  night,  my  despatch  only  went  off  at  seven 
this  morning.  Please  have  the  children  write  every  day, 
and  fully,  how  you  are,  or  I  shall  have  no  peace.  It  is  now 
near  four  o'clock,  and  I  hope  the  messenger  with  the  an- 
swer is  already  in  sight  of  the  towers  of  Stolp.  The 
King  came  to-day  from  Mainau,  well  and  in  good  spirits, 
driving  to  the  races  with  the  Queen.  Her  Majesty  received 
me  very  graciously  day  before  yesterday,  and  talked  of 
politics  of  every  sort.  I  am  staying  in  the  Villa  Stadtel- 
hofer,  on  the  hill  above  the  Lichtenthal  road,  since  there 
was  no  room  in  the  town.  I  look  out  through  the  open 
window  before  me  upon  the  old  castle,  the  rocks  beside  it  on 
which  the  mists  hang,  and  the  Mercury  with  its  top  invisi- 
ble, the  whole  through  a  veil  of  rain  drawn  across  the  warm 
air.  The  outlook  over  city  and  mountains  is  charming, 
but  storm,  homesickness,  and  anxiety  for  you  make  me 
sad;  besides,  I  am  to  dine  at  six  with  Princess  Anna; 
Prince  and  Princess  Carl  are  here;  Flemming  lodges  over 
me,  scrapes  his  violoncello,  the  Countess  sings,  and  Keu- 
dell  accompanies  her.  Abeken's  busy  hand  is  constantly 
showering  on  me  a  new  store  of  scribbled  notions  as  soon 
as  I  have  labored  through  the  old  ones.  I  do  not  recall 
from  where  I  wrote  you  last.  All  the  way  from  Vienna  here 
I  have  not  stopped  to  reflect.  I  slept  a  night  in  Salzburg, 
the  next  in  Munich,  talked  much  and  long  on  business 
with  Schrenk,  who  has  become  very  thin,  and  our  friend, 
Beust's  enemy;  then  I  slept  at  Augsburg,  came  thence 
by  way  of  Stuttgart  hither,  hoping  to  pass  in  restful  idle- 
ness the  two  days  before  the  King  came,  but  was  able  only 
two  hours  yesterday  morning  to  loaf  in  the  forest.  Hunts- 
men, inkstand,  audiences,  and  visitors  whirled  about  me 
ceaselessly.  Uexkull,  too,  is  here,  Chreptowisch  lodges  next 
to  me,  and  I  must  not  show  myself  on  the  promenade; 

393 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK     [Sept. 

nobody  leaves  me  in  peace.  Hearty  love  to  our  papa  and 
the  children,  and,  above  all  things,  get  well,  and  write  me 
at  once  how  you  are,  for  the  telegraph  will  give  only  a 
syllable  of  the  truth.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


BADEN,  September  5,  '64. 

What  has  really  been  the  trouble  with  you,  my  angel? 
Praise  and  thanks  to  God  that  you  are  better;  I  was  deeply 
distressed,  and  the  telegraph  was  so  slow  in  response  to 
my  first  inquiry  that  I  still  feel  oppressed;  it  was  almost 
forty  hours  after  the  question  that  the  answer  came.  But 
what  was  the  cause  of  the  sickness?  Have  you  suffered 
from  annoyances,  anxiety,  exertion,  or  did  it  befall  you 
suddenly  when  quite  well?  Your  nerves  have  never  given 
you  trouble  before,  and  suddenly  to  be  so  threatening! 
I  am  strongly  inclined  to  look  for  the  blame  in  the  doctors, 
mineral  water,  and  drugs.  Only  keep  quiet  and  rely  on 
the  healing  force  of  your  constitution  and  of  rest. 

I  write  and  walk  about  among  the  hills ;  for  two  daj^s 
I  have  not  gone  down  into  the  city  at  all,  only  seeing  it 
from  the  window.  In  three  or  four  days  I  shall  probably 
start  away  for  Berlin.     Hearty  love. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


BERLIN,  September  30,  1864. 
After  a  very  vexatious  morning,  to  be  followed  by  a 
Roon  dinner  and  an  evening  session  of  the  ministry,  only 
two  lines  of  love  and  greeting.  A  remnant  of  melancholy 
shows  through  the  splendid  news  of  your  health,  in  your 
lament  over  the  matter  of  expense ;  and  if  it  were  an  hundred- 
fold more,  you  must  not  let  your  gratitude  and  joy  for  your 

394 


1864]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

recovery  be  troubled  by  it.  Did  the  grapes  from  Borchart 
arrive  in  good  order?  I  have  commissioned  him  to  send 
a  little  box  every  other  day;  they  are  very  good — from 
Fontainebleau.  If  they  are  spoiled  when  they  reach  you, 
cancel  the  order ;  otherwise  not ;  they  will  certainly  be  good 
for  you.  I  shall  probably  go  to  Baden  to-morrow  evening 
or  early  next  day.  Whether  from  there  to  Biarritz  will 
then  be  decided.  A  passport  for  there  I  take  with  me, 
but  whether  the  journey  is  to  be  made,  God  knows. 

Your    most    faithful  V.  B. 


BADEN,  October  3,  '64. 
My  DEAR, — God  grant  that  your  recovery  has  proved 
as  permanent  as,  to  my  gratitude  and  joy,  it  appeared  from 
the  two  letters  which  reached  me  in  Berlin  to  have  been 
complete.  I  am  a  little  uneasy  at  your  having  written 
the  first  long  letter  yourself;  do  not  presume  too  much  on 
your  strength,  but  call  in  the  children;  if  }rou  were  able 
to  do  it  without  being  worn  out,  that  is  certainly  great  prog- 
ress. It  is  distressing  that  aunty  leaves  you.  I  have 
begged  Jenny  on  this  account  to  hasten  her  return.  Can 
you  not  have  another  friend  with  you,  some  lady  of  the 
neighborhood?  Or  keep  one  of  the  children  always  at 
hand ;  let  her  read  to  you ;  that  is  good  practice  for  her  at 
the  same  time;  whether  they  cut  lessons  in  consequence 
is  in  this  case  of  no  consequence  at  all.  I  arrived  here 
yesterday,  expecting  to  go  to  Biarritz  to-morrow,  but 
must  delay  at  least  one  day,  because  the  Empress  Eugenie 
is  coming  here  to-morrow.  I  have  been  confirmed  in  the 
purpose  from  several  quarters,  even  if  I  take  only  fourteen 
baths.  Goltz  has  just  come  from  there,  stout  and  hearty 
as  I  never  saw  him  before.    He  says  that  as  soon  as  he  had 

395 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK       [Oct. 

taken  those  baths  he  felt  like  another  man,  and  kept  im- 
proving all  the  time  he  was  there;  besides,  hot  weather 
continually,  while  here  it  is  as  cold  as  it  was  and  is  in 
Pomerania  —  frost  at  night,  and  I  have  fire.  But  I  am 
likely  to  have  a  struggle  with  his  Majesty  yet  about  the 
journey,  and  I  am  this  moment  going  to  meet  him.  .  .  . 
In  Berlin  I  dined  at  Roon's  one  day,  at  Muhler's  another. 
Mrs.  Mtihler  is  pretty  well  again;  her  sickness  had  a  strong 
resemblance  to  yours,  save  that  in  your  case,  thank  God, 
there  are  no  complications  from  pains  in  the  head.  Frerichs 
prescribes  iron  for  her,  too,  also  ferruginous  baths,  very 
strong  broths.  Commending  you  all  to  God's  gracious 
protection,  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


BADEN,  October  4,  '64. 
MY  DEAR  HEART, — I  found  the  King  to-day  so  much 
inclined  to  favor  my  trip  to  Barritz  that  I  seized  the  op- 
portunity at  once  and  start  to  -  morrow  morning.  .  .  . 
May  God  only  grant  that  your  recovery  goes  on  steadily. 
That  will  do  me  as  much  good  as  the  sea-bathing.  I 
have  still  much  packing  and  writing  to  do ;  have  just  come 
from  the  castle,  where  Eugenie  is.  It  is  twelve  o'clock; 
I  must  rise  at  five.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Biarritz,  October  7,  '64. 
Here  I  really  am,  my  heart — it  seems  like  a  dream;  the 
sea  before  me,  Kathsch  at  work  on  Beethoven  overhead, 
such  a  sky  as  we  have  not  had  the  whole  summer,  and  no 
ink  in  the  house!  In  Paris,  yesterday,  we  still  had  fires; 
here  I  had  to  put  on  summer  clothing  at  once,  which  I 
had  not  expected  to  do  again  this  year.  ...  It  is  all  very 

396 


1864]       THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK 

fine,  if  I  only  had  news  first  that  you  are  well.  I  will  not 
do  any  work  at  all ;  if  despatches  are  sent  me,  I  will  retire 
into  the  Pyrenees,  to  Itzazu.  I  am  just  going  to  take  my 
first  bath ;  the  water  is  at  seventy  degrees,  the  air  at  least 
eighty-eight  degrees.     Hearty  love. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Biarritz,  October  n,  '64. 

At  last  the  mail  has  brought  me  your  letter  of  the  5th. 
after  I  have  been  for  several  days  in  real  distress  from  the 
want  of  it.  Letters  from  Berlin  usually  come  here  in  two 
days.  I  am  glad  that  Liepmann,  at  least,  regards  you  as 
better,  but  it  is  a  pity  you  do  not  feel  so  yourself.  How 
do  you  eat  and  sleep?  In  these  points  is  the  surest  measure 
of  your  progress.  I  reproach  myself  for  not  having  re- 
mained with  you,  for  certainly  separation  has  a  disturbing 
effect  upon  your  nerves,  but  it  will  be  a  consolation  to  you 
that,  with  God's  help,  I  am  going  to  get  entirely  well  again 
here.  I  have  to-day  taken  my  sixth  bath  since  the  7th, 
when  I  began,  and  now  I  take  two  every  day,  feeling  after 
each  one  light  and  strong.  In  the  intervals  we  loaf  about 
on  the  shore,  sit  reading  and  writing  on  the  rocks  over  the 
water — in  short,  a  real  time-killing  life.  I  have  so  habituat- 
ed myself  to  write  that  this  utter  idleness  gives  me  a  very 
bad  conscience.  I  received  day  before  yesterday  a  cipher 
despatch  from  the  King,  and  yesterday  I  spent  an  hour 
dictating  the  answer  to  Bolsing  (secretary),  who  attends 
me;  apart  from  this,  I  do  absolutely  nothing  but  loaf  and 
eat  when  not  asleep.  .  .  . 

By  all  means  do  not  stop  the  grapes  from  coming — plenty 
of  them.  I  firmly  believe  that  they  do  you  more  good  than 
the  poisonous  concoctions  from  the  drug-shop.     For  the 

397 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK      [Oct. 

children,  I  send  a  few  postage-stamps  from  to-day's  mail. 
.  .  .  May  God  of  his  mercy  relieve  you  speedily  of  your  sick- 
ness, and  give  us  all  a  happy  reunion — I  hope  in  about  a 
fortnight.  Farewell,  my  angel;  love  to  old  and  j^oung. 
I  am  now  going  to  dinner,  seven  o'clock,  but  we  break- 
fasted thoroughly  at  eleven. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


ITZAZU,   October   17,    '64. 

My  HEART, — I  have  already  sent  you  a  letter  by  the 
courier  this  morning,  but  pour  la  rarete  du  fait  I  must 
write  you  from  this  magic  place.  We  have  taken  breakfast 
here,  fourteen  miles  east  of  Biarritz,  among  the  moun- 
tains, and  are  sitting  in  a  charming  summer  atmosphere 
on  the  bank  of  a  murmuring  stream,  whose  name  we  do 
not  learn,  because  nobody  speaks  French,  but  only  Basque ; 
high,  narrow  rocks  before  and  behind  us,  with  all  sorts 
of  heath,  ferns,  and  chestnut-trees.  The  valley  is  called 
Le  Pas  de  Roland,  the  western  edge  of  the  Pyrenees.  Be- 
fore starting,  we  took  our  bath;  the  water  cold,  the  air 
like  July;  despatched  the  courier,  then  a  charming  drive 
through  mountains,  forests,  and  meadows.  After  eating, 
drinking,  and  climbing  ourselves  tired,  we  five  are  sitting, 
Orloff  and  French  reading  aloud  together ;  Kathsch,  Mile, 
de  Meynard,  and  I  are  writing,  I  on  the  lid  of  the  box  which 
held  the  grapes  and  figs  we  have  eaten.  At  five  we  drive, 
by  sunset  and  moonlight,  to  Biarritz,  and  dine  at  eight. 
It  is  too  comfortable  a  life  to  last,  and  I  am  distressed  to 
enjoy  it  all  without  you,  and  cannot  wish  it  to  last  longer, 
because  it  keeps  me  from  you.  They  are  acting  foolishly 
at  Berlin,  and  I  have  already  threatened  to  go  to  Spain 
with  Orloff  if  they  will  not  be   reasonable.     Bodel  and 

398 


1864]       THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK 

Itz  *  are  as  if  beside  themselves,  under  the  direction  of  all 
sorts  of  privy-councillors,  Delbriick  included 

The  20th. 
Day  before  yesterday  evening  the  Orloffs  went  to  Pau 
to  visit  the  Panins;  I  went  along;  back  yesterday. 
It  was  oppressively  close  there ;  thunder  -  storms  and 
showers  in  the  evening  while  we  were  on  the  railway; 
from  Bayonne  here  in  the  carriage;  the  ocean  beautiful. 
After  being  as  quiet  as  a  duck-pond  for  several  days,  with 
the  land  breeze,  it  looks  to-day  like  a  boiling  kettle.  But 
with  it  all  the  wind  is  soft  and  moist,  sun  and  rain  alter- 
nate— real  Atlantic  weather.  I  take  my  fourteenth  bath 
to-day ;  I  shall  hardly  go  beyond  the  fifteenth,  for  it  seems 
as  if  I  must  leave  this  warm  coast  to-morrow.  I  do  not 
wish  to  pass  through  Paris  if  the  Emperor  is  not  there, 
and  his  Majesty  will  probably  go  to  Nice  on  Sunday 
to  visit  all  the  Reusses.  To  await  his  return  would  put 
my  plans  out  too  much,  and  trouble  my  conscience  for  too 
long  absence  from  Berlin.  I  am  still  struggling  between 
duty  and  inclination,  but  the  former,  I  fear,  will  prevail. 
I  will  first  take  my  bath,  and  then  decide  whether  there 
shall  be  only  one  more.  In  any  case,  the  fortnight  here 
has  done  me  much  good,  and  I  only  wish  I  could  trans- 
plant you  hither  or  to  Pau,  without  the  trouble  of  the 
journey,  then  probably  your  strength  would  grow  faster. 
Your  description  of  your  winter  on  the  15th,  which  reached 
me  yesterday,  has  really  frightened  me.  Did  you  ever 
get  a  letter  of  the  6th  from  me  at  Bordeaux?  God  help 
you  to  speedy  and  full  recovery. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

•Bodelschwingh  and  Itzenplitz. 

399 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF    BISMARCK      [Oc 

PARIS,  October  25,  '64. 
Before  going  to  bed  after  an  exhausting  day,  I  wan 
to  report  to  you  my  safe  arrival  here.  Yesterday  noon  I  lei 
dear  Biarritz;  mowers  were  in  the  meadows  as  I  drov 
away  under  a  hot  sun ;  friendship  escorted  me  to  Bayonne 
at  six  this  morning  I  arrived  here ;  much  politics,  an  aud: 
ence  with  the  Emperor  and  Empress  at  St.  Cloud,  calk 
dinner  with  Drouyn  de  Lhuys,  and  now  I  am  going  t 
bed  tired.     God  be  with  you  and  all  Reinfeld. 

Your  V.  B. 


BERLIN,  October  30,  '64. 
MY  LOVED  HEART,  —  My  joy  in  being  a  thousam 
miles  nearer  you,  and  in  the  hope  of  speedy  reunion,  wa 
clouded  last  evening  on  my  arrival  by  your  letter  of  th 
day  before,  which  was  less  assuring  than  either  of  the  tw 
I  received  in  Paris  from  you  and  Herbert.  I  had  firml; 
hoped  that  I  should  find  you  here  already  without  notice 
since  on  the  journey  I  read  in  a  Hanover  newspaper  tha 
you  had  arrived  in  Berlin ;  and  now  you  are  in  real  trou 
ble,  my  poor  darling,  and  again  tortured  by  the  saddes 
thoughts.  I  constantly  reproach  myself  that  I  have  no 
been  with  you  instead  of  at  Biarritz;  you  would  surek 
then  be  stronger  by  this  time,  and,  in  any  case,  full  o 
confidence.  I  would  gladly  go  for  you  now,  but  the  ac 
cumulated  arrears  of  business  overwhelm  me  so  that  las 
night,  after  my  arrival,  I  sat  up  till  two,  and  to-day  get  nr 
first  chance  to  write  you  at  midnight.  For  at  least  thre 
hours  I  was  busy  signing  my  name,  and  reports  in  abun 
dance,  for  the  King.  Gortschakoff  was  waiting  here  for  me 
and  all  possible  ambassadors.  The  treaty  of  peace  witl 
Denmark  was  signed  to-day,   but  now  the  negotiation: 

400 


/M 


I'KINl'KSS    lilsMAKi  k 


1864]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF    BISMARCK 

are  just  beginning  in  earnest  on  what  is  to  be  done  with  the 
Duchies.  Besides  the  tariff  business,  over  which  I  am 
greatly  at  odds  with  certain  colleagues,  and  perhaps 
shall  fall  out  with  them  entirely,  and  then  all  the  prepara- 
tions for  the  precious  Chamber.  I  am  thought  here  wholly 
to  have  recovered  my  health,  thinner  and  stronger,  but 
they  will  soon  drive  it  out  of  me  again.  The  weather 
in  Paris,  as  it  looks  to  me  from  here,  was  still  very  mild, 
only  it  rained ;  in  Cologne  very  cold ;  here  it  is  a  fine  winter 
day  to-day,  without  snow.  I  was  at  Essen,  at  Krupp's 
cannon  foundry,  half  a  day,  as  I  heard  that  the  King 
would  not  come  from  Blankenburg  till  to-day ;  in  the  four 
weeks  they  have  deprived  him,  too,  of  a  bit  of  health.  May 
God  but  lend  ear  to  prayers,  and  give  you  yours  again, 
so  that  we  may  together  again  lead  a  happier  life  than 
this  now  is.  As  soon  as  I  have  you  here,  you  will  once 
more  find  strength  and  fresh  spirits ;  the  very  change  of  air 
will  do  you  good.  How  did  the  driving  out  affect  you? 
Can  you  think  without  dread  of  a  journey  to  Stolp?  You 
could  stop  a  night  there,  the  next  at  Coslin,  and  again 
in  Stettin.  I  can  go  for  you,  I  hope,  there  or  to  Coslin. 
God  grant  it  be  soon. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

BERLIN,  November  3,  '64. 

That  is,  November  4,  I  A.M. 
MY  HEART, — Since  I  shall  have  no  chance  to  write 
from  Letzlingen  to-morrow  and  next  day,  I  will  tell 
you  to-night,  or  rather  this  morning,  that  I  am  well,  and 
that  I  earnestly  long  for  you.  I  have  done  two  unwonted 
things  to-day:  joined  in  the  hunt  in  the  Grunewald,  in 
which  I  was  among  the  first  at  the  death,  and  played  whist, 
at  which  I  won  ten  rix-dollars  and  eighteen  silver  groschen 
2  C  401 


THE    LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK  [Nov. '64 

from  the  Czar,  then  supped  at  Adler berg's,  whence  I  have 
just  returned  to  go  to  bed,  as  we  start  for  Letzlingen  at 
seven.  Love  to  papa  and  the  children,  and  God  make 
you  well  speedily,  my  darling. 

Your  most  faithful  and  very  tired  V.  B. 


BERLIN,  November  14,  '64. 
MY  BELOVED  HEART, — I  was  in  fine  spirits  a  little 
while  ago,  since  the  treaty  of  peace  has  actually  been 
completed,  and  several  other  matters  settled  as  I  wished. 
The  King  had  just  left  me;  had  signed  the  treaty  in  my 
office;  given  me  the  order  of  the  Black  Eagle,  and,  what 
I  cared  more  for,  embraced  me  very  warmly;  and  I  was 
saying  that  just  at  that  time  day  after  to-morrow  I  should 
be  reunited  with  you  here,  and  meanwhile,  to-morrow, 
should  shoot  many  pheasants,  when  in  came  the  little 
bird  of  ill  omen,  Jenny,  and  told  me,  to  my  terror,  that  on 
Friday  you  had  had  a  relapse,  and  afterwards  had  felt  very 
weak  again.  I  am  in  deep  anxiety  and  distress  at  this, 
and  my  hope  revives  only  at  the  thought  that  I  have  as 
yet  no  telegram  giving  up  your  journey,  so  that  you  must 
still  feel  strong  enough  to  travel.  Your  latest  letters  were 
so  favorable,  and  the  very  last  one  of  Friday  did  not  at 
least  contradict  them,  that  they  rocked  me  into  the  dream 
that  now  everything  is  well  again,  and  that  at  last,  day 
after  to-morrow,  we  shall  be  together.  As  you  know, 
I  am  prone  to  believe  what  is  most  pleasant,  and  reckon 
that  Jenny  exaggerates;  but  I  pray  God  very  earnestly 
that  it  prove  so,  and  that  we  may  at  last  meet  day  after 
to-morrow.  Jenny  says  that  the  doctors,  even  after  the 
relapse,  were  in  favor  of  the  journey.  If  I  only  knew 
beforehand  how  you  will  stand  the  travelling.     If  it  is 

402 


July,'6s]  THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

too  much,  be  sure  not  to  force  it,  but  take  a  rest  at  Coslin, 
and  do  not  go  on  to  Stettin  till  afternoon,  and  then  sleep 
there.  ...  In  thirty  hours  more  I  hope  to  see  you  in 
Stettin.  May  God  add  his  blessing.  Much  love  to  the 
children.  I  send  nobody  to  meet  you,  since  you  have 
expressly  forbidden  it. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Carlsbad,  July  i,  '65. 
MY  DEAR  HEART, — It  delights  me  to  learn  from  your 
two  letters  that  it  is  well  with  our  scattered  band  every- 
where. Give  yourself  no  anxiety  about  the  budget  ex- 
cesses; what  must  be,  must  be,  and  whether  you  spend 
more  or  fewer  of  these  petty  gulden  has  no  result  of  moment 
for  the  future  heir  of  each  of  our  children.  Practise  no 
Pomeranian  hospitality  in  Hamburg,  but,  as  to  what 
you  want,  do  not  dicker  about  farthings,  as  you  dear 
women  are  apt  to  do.  Your  table  seems  to  me  inexpensive, 
and  your  meals  will  be  more  agreeable  at  home  than  at 
the  table  d'hote,  where  at  times  you  fare  as  between  Steiglitz 
and  the  Turk."  We  are  having  wretched  weather;  espe- 
cially when  I  have  time  to  go  out  it  rains  like  a  cataract,  and 
when  the  sun  shines  I  am  sure  to  be  driven  with  work. 
Keudell  has  not  come  yet;  he  must  have  had  frightful  ar- 
rears. Our  abode  might  have  its  charms  in  good  weather. 
My  outlook  extends  over  the  city,  along  the  Tepl  to  the  Erz 
Mountains,  northwest,  and  thus  into  the  sunset,  should 
there  be  one,  but  mostly  to  a  gray  cloud  bank- ;  and  to  climb 
several  times  a  day  one  hundred  and  eighty  feet  of  steep 
and  stony  path  down  to  the  ship  and  up  again  is  not  one  of 

*  Between  whom  she  had  fainted  on  one  occasion  at  dinner  in  Peters- 
burg. 

403 


THE   LOVE    LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK     [July, 

m}'  favorite  occupations.  For  the  rest,  it  is  quiet,  visits 
made  difficult  by  the  remoteness,  a  cow-stable  under  my 
floor,  fowls  in  the  yard  eating  out  of  the  bowl  set  for  a 
chained-up  lame  dog,  and  evenings  the  lowing  of  the  kine 
under  me,  with  distant  baying  of  dogs,  "the  watch-dog's 
honest  bark,"  as  in  the  country.  .  .  .  All  happiness  to  you 
and  Marie.  God  guard  you  both  and  Reinfeld.  The  hunts- 
man takes  this  to  Leipsic. 

Your  faithful  V.  B. 


Carlsbad,  July  7,  '65. 
At  last,  my  heart,  it  is  warm  here,  seventy-two  in  the 
shade,  one  hundred  and  four  in  the  sun.  .  .  .  The  en- 
closed will  show  you  at  last  that  you  have  an  uncommonly 
good-looking  husband,  beside  whom  even  le  beau  Guiche, 
now  Grammont,  appears  to  no  advantage,  though  I  think 
him  right  handsome.  But  you  will  not  believe  it,  and 
therefore  I  close,  provoked.  One  thousand  good  wishes  to 
Mary  and  all  friends.  The  Miihlers  are  here,  on  the  way 
to  Berchtesgaden.  Your  faithful  V.  B. 


Carlsbad,  July  17,  '65. 
MY  HEART, — I  am  very  sorry  you  have  been  worried 
by  silly  rumors  of  my  sickness.  Folks  are  always  short 
of  stuff,  and,  as  they  cannot  keep  silence,  they  give  out 
gabble.  I  am  as  well  as  is  possible  with  the  heat  and  work. 
Keudell  in  white,  Abeken  and  Zietel  in  light  gray  and 
white,  make  peculiar  effects  of  the  glowing  sunbeam! 
The  Miihlers  go  to-day  by  Eger  to  Berchtesgaden,  off 
into  the  night.  She  stirred  things  up  here,  indeed,  and 
her  tyrannical  hunt  for  pleasure  upset  my  habits  of  life. 

404 


1865]      THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

Yesterday  Princess  Lippe,  coffee  for  forty  people,  jugglers, 
dance  in  the  Kaiser  Park  behind  Friendship  Hall  on  the 
Tepl.  The  King  stayed  from  five  o'clock  till  nine.  I 
seceded  from  the  table  of  Princes  and  Excellencies,  and 
joined  the  young  folk,  Polish,  Wallachian,  and  Hessian 
girls.  But  as  a  bathing  resort  for  folks  in  search  of  pleasure, 
Carlsbad  is  the  most  wretched  I  know.  After  receiving 
this  write  me  no  more  here,  but  at  Salzburg,  where  I  hope 
to  be  the  23d,  or  at  Gastein  the  24th.     Heartfelt  love. 

Your  faithful  V.  B. 


Gastein,  August  1,  '65. 
My  eighteen -years -beloved  Heart,*— Thirteen 
years  ago  to-dayf  you  were  in  a  critical  condition,  and  we 
have  so  many  a  deliverance  since  to  thank  God  for,  and  to 
draw  from  His  grace  in  the  past  confidence  for  present  and 
future.  May  He  restore  you  to  perfect  health  and  preserve 
you  to  the  children.  It  is  well  with  me,  and  you  may  dis- 
miss all  anxiety.  The  beer  was  so  good  at  Ratisbon  and 
Salzburg  that  I  gave  up  banting,  but  here  I  am  beginning 
again.  I  take  seven  baths,  and  a  fortnight  from  to-day 
we  shall  probably,  if  God  will,  move  on,  stay  one  da\T  in 
Salzburg,  whither  the  Emperor  is  likely  to  come.  We 
shall  then,  perhaps,  get  some  more  light  on  the  political 
future,  and  with  it  on  my  own  further  prospects.  If  any- 
thing comes  of  Biarritz,  and  you  go  along,  your  servant 
may  as  well  stay  behind,  since  Engel  goes  with  you,  but 
you  possibly  cannot  do  without  a  maid,  nor  without  dresses ; 
for  since  you  have  the  misfortune  to  be  my  wife,  the  news- 
papers will  surely  take  notice  on  occasion  of  you  and  your 

*  They  had  hecn  married  eighteen  years. 
f  The  second  son's  birthday. 

405 


THE  LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK      [Aug. 

attire.  It  is  the  misery  of  this  position  that  all  freedom 
of  private  life  ceases,  and  therefore  it  is  I  warn  you  that 
in  Homburg  you  practise  no  economies  which  might  be 
out  of  that  measure  for  the  Prussian  Minister-President's 
wife  which  the  public  defines  for  you,  not  by  your  taste 
or  means,  but  mercilessly  by  your  rank.  We  are  un- 
fortunately forced  to  regard  a  thousand  dollars  less  than 
criticism  in  our  appearance,  and  the  part  of  a  modest  coun- 
try housekeeper  is  no  longer  permitted  you,  at  least  not  at 
the  watering-place !  .  .  .        Your  most  faithful       V.  B. 


Gastein,  August  14,  '65. 
For  several  days  I  have  found  no  leisure  to  send  you 
word.  Gr.  Blome  is  back  here,  and  we  are  hard  at  work, 
preserving  the  peace  and  patching  up  the  breaches  in  the 
structure.  Not  to  seem  too  zealous,  I  gave  a  day  yesterday 
to  the  chase ;  I  think  I  wrote  you  how  fruitless  the  first  hunt 
was;  this  time  I  at  least  shot  one  fawn,  but  did  not  even 
see  more  in  the  three  hours  that  I  surrendered  myself, 
motionless,  to  the  experiments  of  many  varieties  of  insects, 
and  the  lively  murmur  of  the  waterfall  below  me  made 
me  understand  the  depth  of  feeling  which  extorted  from 
somebody  before  me  the  wish :  "  Rivulet,  stop  thy  murmur- 
ing." In  my  chamber,  even,  this  wish  is  justified  day  and 
night ;  it  makes  freer  breathing  to  reach  a  place  where  the 
brutal  noise  of  the  waterfall  is  not  heard.  But,  after  all, 
it  was  a  right  pretty  shot,  at  an  angle  across  the  ravine, 
dead  on  the  spot,  and  fell  head  foremost  into  the  stream, 
some  steeples'  lengths  under  me.  My  health  is  good,  and 
I  feel  much  stronger ;  whether  from  bathing  is  hard  to  say ; 
the  doctors,  at  least,  want  to  keep  cutting  me  down  in  num- 
ber, time,  and  warmth  of  baths.     What  shall  I  give  our 

406 


1865]      THE    LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

daughter  for  her  birthday?  I  hope  you  are  attending  to 
that.  I  will  write  her  a  letter.  ...  If  you  stay  in  Homburg 
long  enough,  I  hope  to  make  a  side  trip  to  you,  and  to  en- 
joy the  comfort  of  home,  for  which  the  Miihlers  here  do  not 
entirely  compensate.  God  guard  you  and  ours.  Best  love 
to  our  little  girl,  who  is  beginning  to  be  terribly  old.  Fare- 
well. Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

BADEN,  September  1,  '65. 

MY  BELOVED  HEART, — I  reached  here  day  before 
yesterday  morning,  slept  till  half  past  twelve,  then  much 
work,  dinner  with  the  King,  a  long  address,  in  the  evening 
a  quartette  at  Flemming's  with  Joachim,  who  really 
strokes  his  fiddle  with  amazing  skill.  Yesterday  on  the 
race-course ;  many  acquaintances  whom  I  could  not  readily 
name. 

September  begins  with  rain ;  two-thirds  of  the  year  gone 
since  we  have  become  accustomed  to  write  65.  Princelinesses 
abound  here.  At  four  Marussa*  wishes  to  see  me ;  she  is 
said  now  to  be  very  handsome.  Two  Lucca  pictures 
come  next.  We  both  look  stout  and  like  very  good  chil- 
dren. The  King  means  to  leave  here  on  the  5th,  undecided 
yet  which  way,  Coburg  or  Coblentz,  on  account  of  Queen 
Victoria,  whom  he  wants  to  meet.  In  any  case  I  hope  to 
pass  through  Frankfort  the  5th  or  6th;  whether  I  can  be  in 
Homburg,  and  how  long,  will  have  to  be  determined — not 
longer  than  one  day  anyhow,  since  I  must  be  in  Berlin 
with  the  King. 

It  rains  very  thoroughly  and  prospectively  long.  Loving 
greetings  to  Marie  and  both  boys. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

*  Princess  of  Baden. 
407 


THE  LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK       [July, 

SlCHROW,  July  I,  '66. 

MY  BELOVED  HEART, — We  started  to-day  from  Reich- 
enberg,  have  just  reached  here,  still  uncertain  whether  we 
stay  one  night  here  or  in  Turnau.  The  whole  journey 
was  one  of  danger,  and  I  am  glad  to  have  no  responsibility 
for  it.  Yesterday  the  Austrians,  if  they  had  sent  cavalry 
from  Leitmeritz,  might  have  captured  the  King  and  all  of 
us.  Poor  Carl,  the  driver,  has  just  had  a  terrible  fall, 
with  the  red  mare  that  ran  away  with  him.  He  was  taken 
at  first  for  dead.  He  lies  in  the  hospital  here  at  Sichrow, 
in  the  next  village.  Kurt  is  to  come  for  him.  We  meet 
prisoners  everywhere;  there  appear  to  be  already  more 
than  15,000,  by  the  reports  received  here.  Jitschin  was 
taken  by  us  yesterday  with  the  bayonet,  the  Frankfort 
division,  Gen.  Tumpling  severely  wounded  in  the  thigh, 
not  fatally.  The  heat  frightful,  the  bringing  of  supplies 
difficult.  Our  troops  suffer  from  fatigue  and  hunger. 
In  the  country  to  this  point  few  marks  of  the  war  save 
trodden  fields  of  grain.  The  people  are  not  afraid  of  the 
soldiers,  but  stand  with  wife  and  child  in  Sunday  dress 
before  the  doors  and  stare  in  wonder.  In  Trautenau  the 
inhabitants  murdered  twenty  unarmed  stragglers  of  ours, 
who  had  stayed  behind  the  van  when  their  regiment 
marched  through.  The  guilty  ones  are  in  Glogau  before 
a  court-martial.  At  Miinchengratz  the  proprietor  of  a 
brewery  enticed  twenty-six  of  our  soldiers  into  a  cellar  of 
spirits,  made  them  drunk,  set  it  on  fire.  The  brewery 
belonged  to  a  convent.  Aside  from  such  things,  we  hear 
less  news  here  than  in  Berlin.  This  castle,  very  imposing, 
belongs  to  Prince  Rohan,  whom  I  used  to  meet  every  year 
at  Gastein. 

Farewell.  Warm  love  to  the  children  and  our  guests. 
God  guard  you  all.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

408 


i866]       THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF    BISMARCK 

JlTSCHIN   (not   GlTSCHIX),   July  2,    '66. 

Just  arrived  here  from  Sichrow;  the  battle-field  on  the 
way  was  full  of  corpses,  horses,  arms.  Our  victories  are 
far  greater  than  we  thought;  it  seems  that  we  already 
have  more  than  15,000  prisoners,  and  the  Austrian  loss  in 
killed  and  wounded  is  reported  still  higher,  about  20,000. 
Two  of  their  corps  are  destroyed,  several  regiments  an- 
nihilated to  the  last  man.  I  have  hitherto  seen  many 
more  Austrian  prisoners  than  Prussian  soldiers.  Send  me 
constantly  by  the  couriers  cigars,  as  many  as  one  thousand 
each  time  if  you  can,  price  twenty  rix- dollars,  for  the 
hospitals.  All  the  wounded  ask  me  for  them.  Also 
either  by  collections  or  from  our  own  means  subscribe 
for  some  dozens  of  copies  of  the  Kreuz  Zeitung  for  the  hos- 
pitals— for  example,  that  in  Reichenberg ;  for  the  places  of 
the  other  hospitals  have  inquiry  made  at  the  War  Office. 
What  is  Clermont-Tonnerre  doing?  Isn't  he  coming?  I 
have  no  mail  yet. 

Send  me,  besides,  a  revolver  of  large  caliber,  a  saddle- 
pistol.  Carl,  the  coachman,  is  better;  he  will  probably 
suffer  no  permanent  injury,  but  will  be  unfit  for  service 
for  some  time.  Carl  B.*  deserves  much  praise,  the  active 
centre  of  our  travelling  household. 

Best  love.  Send  me  a  French  novel  to  read,  but  only 
one  at  a  time.     God  protect  you. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

This  moment  comes  your  letter  with  the  Homburg 
enclosure:  a  thousand  thanks.  I  can  feel  with  you  the 
loneliness  of  your  setting  out!  Here,  in  the  bustle,  there 
can  be  no  sense  of  the  situation,  or  at  most  only  at  night 
in  bed. 

•  Bismarck-Bohlcn. 
409 


THE  LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK     [Sept. 

HOHENMAUTH,  Monday,  September  7,  '66. 
Do  you  remember,  sweetheart,  how  we  passed  through 
here  nineteen  years  ago,  on  the  way  from  Prague  to  Vienna? 
No  mirror  showed  the  future  then,  nor  in  1852,  when  I 
went  over  this  railway  with  good  Lynar.  How  strangely 
romantic  are  God's  ways!  We  are  doing  well,  in  spite  of 
Napoleon ;  if  we  are  not  unmeasured  in  our  claims  and  do 
not  imagine  we  have  conquered  the  world,  we  shall  achieve 
a  peace  that  is  worth  the  trouble.  But  we  are  as  easily 
intoxicated  as  disheartened,  and  it  is  my  thankless  part  to 
pour  water  into  the  foaming  wine,  and  to  insist  that  we  do 
not  live  alone  in  Europe,  but  with  three  other  powers 
which  hate  and  envy  us.  The  Austrians  hold  position 
in  Moravia,  and  we  are  bold  enough  to  announce  our  head- 
quarters for  to-morrow  at  the  point  where  they  are  now. 
Prisoners  still  keep  passing  in,  and  cannon,  one  hundred 
and  eighty  from  the  3d  to  to-day.  If  they  bring  up  their 
southern  army,  we  shall,  with  God's  gracious  help,  defeat 
it  too;  confidence  is  universal.  Our  people  are  ready  to 
embrace  one  another,  every  man  so  deadly  in  earnest, 
calm,  obedient,  orderly,  with  empty  stomach,  soaked 
clothes,  wet  camp,  little  sleep,  shoe-soles  dropping  off, 
kindly  to  all,  no  sacking  or  burning,  paying  what  they 
can  and  eating  mouldy  bread.  There  must  surely  be  a 
solid  basis  of  fear  of  God  in  the  common  soldier  of  our  army, 
or  all  this  could  not  be.  News  of  our  friends  is  hard  to 
get;  we  lie  miles  apart  from  one  another,  none  knowing 
where  the  other  is,  and  nobody  to  send — that  is,  men  might 
be  had,  but  no  horses.  For  four  days  I  have  had  search 
made  for  Philip,*  who  was  slightly  wounded  by  a  lance- 
thrust  in  the  head,  as  Gerhardf  wrote  me,  but  I  can't  find 

*  Von  Bismarck,  the  oldest  nephew. 

t  Von  Thadden,  commanding  a  squadron  in  the  First  Dragoon  Guards. 

410 


1 866]      THE    LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

out  where  he  is,  and  we  have  now  come  thirty-seven  miles 
farther.  The  King  exposed  himself  greatly  on  the  3d, 
and  it  was  well  I  was  present,  for  all  the  warnings  of  others 
had  no  effect,  and  no  one  would  have  dared  to  talk  so  sharp- 
ly to  him  as  I  allowed  myself  to  do  on  the  last  occasion, 
which  gave  support  to  my  words,  when  a  knot  of  ten  cuiras- 
siers and  fifteen  horses  of  the  Sixth  Cuirassier  Regiment 
rushed  confusedly  by  us,  all  in  blood,  and  the  shells  whizzed 
around  most  disagreeably  close  to  the  King.  He  cannot 
yet  forgive  me  for  having  blocked  for  him  the  pleasure  of 
being  hit.  "  At  the  spot  where  I  was  forced  by  order  of  the 
supreme  authority  to  run  away,"  were  his  words  only 
yesterday,  pointing  his  finger  angrily  at  me.  But  I  like 
it  better  so  than  if  he  were  excessively  cautious.  He  was 
full  of  enthusiasm  over  his  troops,  and  justly  so  rapt  that 
he  seemed  to  take  no  notice  of  the  din  and  fighting  close  to 
him,  calm  and  composed  as  at  the  Kreuzberg,  and  con- 
stantly meeting  battalions  that  he  must  thank  with  "  Good- 
evening,  grenadiers,"  till  we  were  actually  by  this  trilling 
brought  under  fire  again.  But  he  has  had  to  hear  so 
much  of  this  that  he  will  stop  it  for  the  future,  and  you 
may  feel  quite  easy;  indeed,  I  hardly  believe  there  will 
be  another  real  battle. 

When  you  have  of  anybody  no  word  whatever,  you  may 
assume  with  confidence  that  he  is  alive  and  well ;  for  if 
acquaintances  are  wounded,  it  is  always  known  at  latest 
in  twenty-four  hours.  We  have  not  come  across  Ilerwarth 
and  Steinmetz  at  all,  nor  has  the  King.  Schreck,  too,  I 
have  not  seen,  but  I  know  they  are  well.  Gerhard  keeps 
quietly  at  the  head  of  his  squadron,  with  his  arm  in  a 
sling.     Farewell — I  must  to  business. 

Your  faithfullcst 

V.  B. 
411 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK  [Aug.  '66 

Zwittau,  Moravia,  July  n,  '66. 
DEAR  HEART, — I  have  no  inkstand,  all  of  them  being 
in  use ;  but  for  the  rest  I  get  on  well,  after  a  good  sleep  on 
a  camp  bed  with  air  mattress  ;  roused  at  eight  by  a  letter 
from  you.  I  went  to  bed  at  eleven.  At  Koniggratz  I 
rode  the  big  sandy  thirteen  hours  in  the  saddle  without 
feeding  him.  He  bore  it  very  well,  did  not  shy  at  shots 
nor  at  corpses,  cropped  standing  grain  and  plum-leaves 
with  zest  at  the  most  trying  moments,  and  kept  up  an 
easy  gait  to  the  last,  when  I  was  more  tired  than  the  horse. 
My  first  bivouac  for  the  night  was  on  the  street  pavement 
of  Horic,  with  no  straw,  but  helped  by  a  carriage  cushion. 
It  was  full  of  wounded ;  the  Grand  Duke  of  Mecklenburg 
found  me  and  shared  his  chamber  with  me,  Reuss,  and 
two  adjutants,  and  the  rain  made  this  very  welcome  to  me. 
About  the  King  and  the  shells,  I  have  written  you  already. 
All  the  generals  had  a  superstition  that  they,  as  soldiers, 
must  not  speak  to  the  King  of  danger,  and  always  sent 
me  off  to  him,  though  I  am  a  major,  too.  They  did  not 
venture  to  speak  to  his  reckless  Majesty  in  the  serious 
tone  which  at  last  was  effectual.  Now  at  last  he  is  grateful 
to  me  for  it,  and  his  sharp  words,  "  How  you  drove  me  off 
the  first  time,"  etc.,  are  an  acknowledgment  that  I  was 
right.  Nobody  knew  the  region,  the  King  had  no  guide, 
but  rode  right  on  at  random,  till  I  obtruded  myself  to  show 
the  way.  .  .  .  Farewell,  my  heart.  I  must  go  to  the  King. 
Your  most  faithful  V.   B. 


Prague,  August  3,  1866. 
MY  DEAR  HEART, —  ...  In  a  few  days  it  will  be  nine- 
teen years  since  we  saw  all   this  together.     How  much 
that  is  amazing  had  to  occur,  in  order  to  bring  me  thus 

412 


Dec.'69]  THE  LOVE  LETTERS  OF  BISMARCK 

again  to  the  same  place,  without  Bernets.  ...  A  great  com- 
plication in  the  ministry  on  the  speech  from  the  throne; 
Lippe  takes  the  lead  in  heavy  debate  against  me  on  the 
conservative  side,  and  Hans  Kleist  has  written  me  a  pro- 
voking letter.  All  the  petty  folk  have  too  little  to  do, 
see  nothing  beyond  their  own  noses,  and  practise  their 
skill  in  swimming  on  the  tempestuous  wave  of  phrases. 
We  have  done  with  the  enemy,  but  our  friends!  They 
all  have  blinding  flaps  before  their  eyes,  and  see  but  one 
spot  in  the  world. 

Farewell,  my  dear.    Here  are  people  and  papers.    Hearty 
love.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


BERLIN,  Tuesday  Evening. 
(Postmark,  December  7,  1869.) 

To  the  Countess  von  Bismarck-Schonhausen,  Bonn,  at  the 
Star : 

MY  DEAR  HEART, — I  am  glad  to  hear  from  Keudell 
that  you  get  on  well  under  the  circumstances;  I  only  aj>- 
prehend  lest  the  reaction  will  be  severe  on  your  strength, 
when  the  strain  is  over.  Of  the  poor  weak  boy  I  can  find 
little  that  is  assuring  in  your  reports,  though  still  my  re- 
liance on  God's  help  is  firm.  How  recklessly  must  they 
have  neglected  him!  Greet  my  beloved  youngster  heartily, 
and  keep  him  right  quiet;  he  will  still  be  patient  and  weak, 
but  if  his  strength,  with  God's  help,  begins  to  return,  great 
caution  will  be  needed  to  keep  him  from  presuming  on  it. 

I  dined  with  Roon  on  Sunday,  and  yesterday  was  with 
him  at  Giitergotz,  where  he  has  built  himself  a  very  im- 
posing chateau.  I  don't  want  to  take  you  there,  or  you 
would  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  Varzin  house.  lie 
builds  and  plants  on  a  huge  scale,  but  he  gets  no  rents. 

413 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK  [DEc'69 

Yesterday  I  dined  at  Malle's,  to-day  at  Roon's  again. 
Have  no  anxiety,  I  am  very  prudent.  I  have  slept  well; 
the  first  night  like  the  dead,  ten  hours,  and  then  woke  with 
the  impression  that  I  had  just  lain  down.  May  you  have 
many  a  night  like  it ;  I  am  much  afraid  you  waste  yourself 
in  anxiety  and  watching.  I  have  seen  the  King,  but  did 
not  engage  in  the  service.  If  I  do  not  go  to  Bonn,  a  ques- 
tion I  shall  not  decide  till  after  Marie  comes,  I  do  not  really 
know  whither.  Here  I  cannot  live  incognito;  everybody 
has  left  Varzin,  and  I  have  no  liking  to  go  abroad.  Malle 
wished  to  go  with  me  to  Krochlendorf .  I  might  go  hunting, 
but  till  I  have  trustworthy  assurance  from  Bonn,  do  not 
like  to  accept  any  invitation.  Love  to  the  dear  children, 
comfort  H.,  keep  him  quietly  patient,  and  spare  yourself. 
No  telegram  to-day?  Your  V.  B. 


BERLIN,  December  13,  1869. 

MY  DARLING,— God  be  thanked  that  your  letters  are 
of  comforting  tenor.  The  retiring  disease  still  rises  and 
falls  perhaps,  but  on  the  whole  keeps  on  the  ebb,  and 
through  your  accounts  of  the  situation  there  breaks  now 
and  then  a  comforting  bit  of  humor,  which  indicates  that 
the  spirit  of  joyful  hope  is  uppermost  in  your  heart.  Poor 
Thile,  alas!  has  suffered  what  threatened  us,  and  worse; 
he  had  but  one  child,  the  son  who  stood  with  the  Uhlans 
at  Perleberg,  and  has  just  received  a  telegram  announcing 
his  death  by  apoplexy.  He  had  suffered  from  epilepsy 
before,  but  was  thought  to  be  cured. 

With  all  Herbert's  good  prospects,  I  cannot  yet  but  fear 
that  he  will  not  be  fit  to  travel  at  Christmas.  Will  it  suit 
you  if  we  keep  the  holiday  together  in  Bonn,  or  is  the  poor 
boy  still  so  weak  that  it  would  be  inadvisable?    Write 

414 


Aug.  '70]  THE  LOVE  LETTERS  OF  BISMARCK 

me,  without  mistaken  consideration  for  me,  what  you 
think.  The  journey  would  not  hurt  me;  there  must  be 
lodgings  to  be  found  there,  so  that  Herbert  will  not  be 
disturbed.  I  cherish  the  idea  of  transplanting  both  the 
boys  hither,  as  soon  as  the  recovery,  with  God's  help, 
has  gone  far  enough.  Of  course,  they  are  in  God's  hand 
anywhere,  but  after  this  time  of  anxiety  you  will  still  be 
uneasy  if  they  stay  out  of  your  sight,  and  you  will  regard 
Bonn  in  particular  with  less  confidence  than  before,  though 
you  are  in  all  seriousness  a  brave  and  God-gifted  lady; 
in  fact,  even  more  so  in  the  actual  presence  of  calamity 
than  when  fancy  still  gives  fear  full  play.  Write  me 
your  opinion.  As  soon  as  I  am  a  little  calmer,  1  will  go 
for  some  days  to  Barby  to  hunt,  taking  Marie  thither 
perhaps  Saturday  or  Monday.  If  we  then  go  for  the  holi- 
day to  Bonn,  we  might  make  our  journey  direct  from  there 
without  entering  Berlin  again;  if  you  think  it  better  that 
the  invalid's  quiet  still  remain  unbroken,  write  me  so  with- 
out reserve,  and  we  must  this  time  divide  the  Christmas- 
tree,  half  here,  the  other  half  at  Schmitz's.  If  Herbert 
could  leave  his  room  by  that  time,  there  might  be  a  place 
near  Bonn — Rolandseck,  Honnef,  or  the  like — where  we 
could  spend  a  few  days  quietly  together.  Hearty  greet- 
ings to  both  boys,  over  whose  Christmas  Marie  is  splitting 
her  head.  Your  V.  B. 

Mainz,  August  6,  'jo. 
To  Count  H.  Bismarck  : 

MY  BELOVED  BOY,— Hearty  thanks  for  your  letter 
of  two  days  since,  received  to-day;  where  this  will  find  yon, 
I  know  not.  We  go  with  the  King  to-morrow  morning 
to  the  border;  I  should  like  to  meet  there  the  dear  blue 
colors.     The  beginning,   under  God's  blessing,  is  good; 

415 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK     [Sept. 

would  it  might  keep  so  to  the  end.  From  Weissenbourg, 
four  hundred  French  prisoners  came  through  here  to- 
day, and  four  hundred  through  Darmstadt.  At  Saar- 
briick  to-day  the  retreating  marauders,  who  fired  this 
unfortified  town  in  their  wantonness,  were  overtaken 
by  Goben,  and  (Frossard's  corps)  utterly  routed.  Within 
a  few  days  the  same,  with  God's  help,  will  be  the  case  with 
the  main  army.  I  have  good  news  of  your  mother,  only 
throw  in  the  mail  frequent  letters  for  her,  when  you  can. 
1  hope  she  will  soon  go  to  Nauheim. 

Hearty  love  to  Bill,  and  join  me  and  your  mother  in 
prayer  that  God  will  reunite  us  all  in  health,  but,  above 
all,  that  He  will  give  us  victory  of  His  grace. 

Faithfully,  your  father,  V.  BISMARCK. 

Should  either  of  you  be  wounded,  telegraph  me  at  the 
King's  headquarters  as  quickly  as  you  can.  But  not 
to  your  mother  first. 

VENDRESSE,  September  3,  1870. 
To  Mrs.  von  Bismarck : 

MY  DEAR  HEART, — Day  before  yesterday  I  left  my 
quarters  here  before  dawn,  but  came  back  to-day,  and 
have  meanwhile  been  through  the  great  battle  of  Sedan 
on  the  1st,  in  which  we  took  some  thirty  thousand  prison- 
ers, and  shut  the  remainder  of  the  French  army,  which 
we  had  chased  ever  since  Bar-le-Duc,  into  the  fortress, 
where  they  had  to  surrender,  with  the  Emperor,  as  prison- 
ers of  war.  At  five  yesterday  morning,  after  I  had  dis- 
cussed the  terms  of  capitulation  with  Moltke  and  the 
French  generals  till  one  o'clock,  General  Reille,  whom 
I  know,  called  me  up  to  say  that  Napoleon  wished  to 
speak  with  me.     Without  washing  or   breakfast,  I  rode 

416 


1870]      THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK 

towards  Sedan,  found  the  Emperor  in  an  open  carriage 
with  three  adjutants,  and  three  more  at  hand  in  the  saddle, 
on  the  main  road  before  Sedan.  I  dismounted,  saluted 
him  as  politely  as  in  the  Tuileries,  and  asked  his  com- 
mands. He  desired  to  see  the  King.  I  told  him,  as  was 
true,  that  his  Majesty's  quarters  were  fourteen  miles 
away,  at  the  place  where  I  am  writing  now.  Upon  his 
question,  whither  he  should  betake  himself,  I  offered  him, 
since  I  was  unfamiliar  with  the  region,  my  quarters  in 
Donchery,  a  village  on  the  Maas  close  to  Sedan ;  he  ac- 
cepted them,  and  drove,  escorted  by  his  six  Frenchmen, 
by  me;  and  by  Carl,  who  meanwhile  had  ridden  after 
me,  through  the  lovely  morning,  towards  our  lines.  lie 
was  distressed  before  reaching  the  place,  because  of  the 
possible  crowds,  and  asked  me  if  he  might  not  stop  at 
a  lonely  workman's  house  on  the  road.  I  had  it  examined 
by  Carl,  who  reported  that  it  was  wretched  and  dirty. 
"  N'importe,"  said  Napoleon,  and  I  mounted  with  him 
a  narrow,  rickety  stairway.  In  a  room  ten  feet  square, 
with  a  fig-wood  table  and  two  rush-bottomed  chairs,  we 
sat  an  hour,  the  others  staying  below.  A  mighty  con- 
trast to  our  last  interview,  in  '67,  at  the  Tuileries.  Our 
conversation  was  difficult,  if  I  would  avoid  touching  on 
things  which  must  be  painful  to  those  whom  God's  mighty 
hand  had  overthrown.  Through  Carl,  I  had  officers 
brought  from  the  city,  and  Moltke  requested  to  come. 
We  then  sent  out  one  of  the  first  to  reconnoitre,  and  dis- 
covered, a  couple  of  miles  off,  at  Fresnoi's,  a  little  chateau 
with  a  park.  Thither  I  conducted  him,  with  an  escort  of 
the  Cuirassier  body-guards,  which  was  meanwhile  brought 
up,  and  there  we  concluded  the  capitulation  with  Wimpfen, 
the  French  general-in-chief.  By  its  terms,  from  forty 
to  sixty  thousand  French — I  do  not  yet  know  the  number 
2D  417 


THE   LOVE  LETTERS  OF  BISMARCK  [Aug. '71 

more  exactly — become  our  prisoners,  with  everything 
they  have.  The  two  preceding  days  cost  France  one 
hundred  thousand  men  and  an  emperor.  He  started 
early  this  morning,  with  all  his  court,  horses,  and  wagons, 
for  Wilhelmshohe,  at  Cassel. 

It  is  an  event  in  universal  history,  a  triumph  for  which 
we  will  thank  God  the  Lord  in  humility,  and  which  is  de- 
cisive of  the  war,  even  though  we  must  continue  to  prose- 
cute it  against  headless  France. 

I  must  close.  With  heartfelt  joy  I  have  learned  to-day 
from  your  letter  and  Marie's,  of  Herbert's  reaching  you. 
I  met  Bill  yesterday,  as  I  telegraphed  you,  and  took  him 
to  my  arms  from  his  horse  before  the  King's  face,  while 
he  stood  with  his  limbs  rigid.  He  is  entirely  well  and  in 
high  spirits.  Hans  and  Fritz  Carl  and  both  the  Billows 
I  saw  with  the  Second  Dragoon  guards,  well  and  cheerful. 

Farewell,  my  heart.     Kiss  the  children. 

Your  V.  B. 


Gastein,  August  30,  '71. 
Happy  the  man  to  whom  God  has  given  a  virtuous  wife, 
who  writes  him  every  day.  I  am  delighted  that  you  are 
well,  and  that  you  have  come  to  be  three,  to  whom  I  hope 
to  add  myself  as  fourth  on  the  7th  or  8th.  .  .  .  You 
see  I  have  enough  mental  leisure  here  to  devote  myself 
to  the  unaccustomed  work  of  making  plans;  but  all  on 
the  presupposition  that  the  excited  Gauls  do  not  worry 
my  little  friend  Thiers  to  death,  for  then  I  should  have  to 
stay  with  his  Majesty  and  watch  which  way  the  hare  runs. 
I  do  not  think  that  likely,  but  with  such  a  stupid  nation 
as  they  are  anything  is  possible.  Hearty  love  to  both 
fat  children.  Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 

418 


May,'72]  THE  LOVE  LETTERS  OF  BISMARCK 

GASTEIN,  September  2,  '71. 

MY  DARLING,— Your  refreshing  letter  of  the  31st,  with 
the  postmark  Reichenhalle,  the  morning  of  the  1st,  has 
come  hither  uncommonly  quick,  after  I  had  been  four 
days  long  without  any,  which,  in  view  of  your  usual  faith- 
fulness in  writing,  made  me  uneasy.  The  stout  quarrellers 
might  also  write  a  line  once  in  a  while;  it  need  not  be  a 
letter,  but  just  a  sign  of  life.  I  get  on  well,  only  work 
piles  up  for  me.  The  King  of  Greece  came  to-day,  and 
leaves  me  no  time  to  write ;  I  must  breakfast  at  his  Majesty's 
with  the  exalted  guest ;  hardly  time  for  the  bath.  Do  not 
count  on  me  for  Gmunden,  but  rather  go  there  before  I 
come,  if,  as  I  presume,  you  want  to  see  the  place  and  the 
little  lady  again.  I  am  sorry  Jagow  stays  away,  on  Bill's 
account.  But  at  this  season  he  no  doubt  finds  vagabonds 
to  make  friends  of  on  the  great  routes  of  travel.  Fare- 
well, the  bath  -  house  fiddle  has  already  struck  up  the 
Grecian  national  hymn.  A  right  cheerful  march  move- 
ment. Your  V.   B. 


VARZIN,  Trinity,  May  26,  '72. 
It  is  distressing  that  you  are  gone,  and  I  worry  so  that 
I  don't  know  whether  I  can  stand  it  for  four  weeks.  Per- 
haps I  shall  drive  to  Reinfeld  to-morrow  with  Westphal, 
but  the  depressing  thing  is  to  come  back  to  the  empty 
house.  I  was  at  church  with  Bucher,  then  we  loafed  two 
hours  in  the  close,  dined  with  Westphal  and  Wistinghausen, 
and  I  have  just  inspected  protected  places  for  young  trees 
for  three  hours  till  sunset.  Weather  and  forest  are  fine, 
but  if  unscrupulous  doctors,  by  their  pompous  pretensions 
with  bathing-cures,  break  all  family  ties,  then  the  finest 
Varzin  of  all  can  do  me  no  good.     I  feel  as  if  all  men  were 

419 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK  [Oct. '78 

dead,  I  alone  left.  I  trust  you  arrived  safely;  did  you 
forward  the  letter  to  his  Majesty?  Greet  my  darling 
urchin,  and  speedily  send  one  of  the  youngsters  here. 

Your  V.  B. 


(Telegram.) 

VARZIN,  May  31,  '72. 

Princess  Bismarck,  Soden  Spa : 

I  am  doing  as  well  as  any  childless  straw-widower  in 
good  weather  can.  BISMARCK. 


FRIEDRICHS,  Wednesday. 
(Postmark,  October  23,  '78.) 

Hearty  thanks  for  your  letter,  my  dear.  I  have  come 
here,  after  a  long  interval,  for  my  first  rest,  found  my 
enlarged  chamber  more  comfortable  than  anything  for 
a  long  time,  slept  tolerably,  spite  of  all  excuses  and  strong 
coffee  at  ten  o'clock.  My  first  meeting  with  Ti.*  to-day 
almost  frightened  me,  as  a  reminder  of  the  chains  of  office. 
The  air  fills  the  lungs  splendidly,  like  good  old  wine  in 
comparison  with  small  Berlin  beer.  In  the  forest  the 
foliage  is  rich,  autumn  coloring  prevailing  as  seen  from 
above,  many  trees  still  in  summer  green  from  below.  I 
walked  an  hour  in  the  morning,  drove  then  with  Ti.  through 
Braken,  Altenhau,  Schonau,  Silk,  where  I  saw  the  first 
full  barns ;  lit  on  Stumm  in  the  forest  surveying  with 
huzzars,  invited  him  to  dinner,  and  have  just  let  him  go, 
nine  o'clock.  Ti.  is  somewhat  chilled;  Bill  comes  to- 
morrow morning,  according  to  a  telegram  just  received. 
Tiras  and  Flora  are  chasing  each  other  like  mad  through 

*  Tiedemann. 
420 


July, '81J  THE   LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK 

the  big  rooms  in  the  delight  of  meeting  again,  and  the 
curtains  with  foolish  trains  on  the  ground  hem  in  the  space. 
In  the  ice-cellar  for  weeks  not  a  piece,  because  of  defective 
plumbing.  The  stoves  heat  well ;  some  of  the  chimneys 
still  smoke.  Horses  well ;  the  general  impression  satis- 
factory, especially  the  quieting  outlook  on  the  wall  built 
around  us!  A  clear  sky  with  fift37-nine  degrees  temper- 
ature; in  short,  I  should  be  comfortable  if  you  were  with 
me  and  no  visit  expected.  Hearty  love  to  Marie  and  R. 
Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


VARZIN,  Tuesday,  November  18,  '79. 
The  frosty  weather  suits  me  better  than  what  preceded 
it,  only  the  languor  still  does  not  go.  "That  is  good  for 
you,"*  is  like  a  journey  afoot,  with  much  standing  and 
resting;  but  I  have  probably  four  weeks  left  3Tet  for  rest. 
How  is  it  with  the  grandson?  Was  it  wind?  Hearty 
love  to  the  would-be  mother  and  Rantzan.  Adelheid  is 
reading  Italian,  Herbert  is  writing  close  by,  Tiref  is  crack- 
ing an  enormous  bone,  and  the  tea-kettle  is  singing  to  all. 
God  be  with  you  and  Marie. 

Your  faithf ullest  V.  B. 


KlSSINGEN,  July  12.   '81. 

To  the  Princess  von  Bismarck,  Kreuth,  Upper  Bavaria  : 

BELOVED  HEART,— God  be  thanked  for  all  the  good 
tidings  from  you;  may  the  distress  of  separation  bring 
rich  fruit  of  health.  It  is  very  empty  here,  in  the  house 
and  outside  in  walks  and  drives;  even  Tiras  feels  it,  and 

•Words  cut  in  the  bark  of  a  tree  at  Varzin.  t  Tiras. 

421 


THE   LOVE   LETTERS   OF   BISMARCK  [July, '8 1 

whines  inquiringly  in  the  mornings  why  Herbert  comes 
and  not  you.  We  drive  every  evening,  to  get  out  in  the 
open,  bravely  and  long,  and  then  before  eleven  I  go  to  bed, 
and  yet  after  a  good  night's  sleep  struggle  in  vain  to  get 
up  at  nine.  The  ideal  distribution  of  the  day  is  even  yet 
not  attained.  We  have  a  few  guests  at  dinner  every  day : 
yesterday  Seydewitz,  Mischke  (adjutant  to  the  Crown 
Prince),  and  Kracht;  to-day  Muhler  (on  business,  unfort- 
unately), and  the  good  Mrs.  Wallenberg,  who  not  long  ago 
dined  at  our  home  with  Ohlendorf ;  she  is  always  sociable 
and  agreeable.  I  now  bathe  only  every  other  day,  and 
drink  only  two  glasses,  because  favorable  symptoms  in- 
dicated that  it  was  enough.  After  a  while  I  will  bathe 
oftener.  Pains  gradually  diminishing,  day  by  day,  but 
they  do  not  yet  leave  me  entirely  at  peace,  since  I  was 
on  the  fortifications  at  Strasburg  till  about  three  o'clock. 
Herbert,  for  similar  reasons,  is  to  drink  Rakoczy  too,  and  to 
diet.  I  have  persuaded  Elise*  to  stay  till  Thursday; 
she  is  free  from  pain,  but  walks  stiff  and  lame,  so  that  she 
would  bring  disgrace  on  your  facade.  To-day  seventy- 
nine  degrees  in  the  shade,  moderate  for  Kreuth,  here  very 
warm.     God  bless  you.     Hearty  love  to  Bill  and  the  ladies. 

Your  V.  B. 


KlSSINGEN,   July  28,    '81. 

MY  BELOVED  HEART, — With  joy  I  have  received  your 
telegram  to-day,  and  join  in  thanks  to  God  for  all  the 
grace  that  has  been  shown  us  in  these  thirty-four  years. 
The  very  fact  that  His  mercy  has  preserved  us  and  all 
our  family  till  now,  and,  as  I  firmly  trust,  will  preserve 

*  Chambermaid. 
422 


May,'84]  THE  LOVE  LETTERS  OF  BISMARCK 

us  still,  is  a  special  and  not  common  favor,  and  how  won- 
derfully Has  his  guardian  hand  repeatedly  worked  for  each 
of  us  five.  I  have  had  much  anxiety,  toil,  and  trouble,  but 
in  the  retrospect  of  a  third  of  a  century  my  heart  over- 
flows in  humble  gratitude,  with  the  confession  that  it 
has  been  well  with  me,  beyond  all  desert  and  hope.  May 
God's  grace  continue  with  us.  In  1847  it  was  warmer 
than  now ;  early  this  morning  it  was  only  fifty-two  degrees ; 
is  now  fifty-seven  degrees.  At  noon  Mrs.  Wallenberg  and 
Schlozer  were  with  us,  and  we  ate  a  hare  from  Barby; 
then  I  drove  with  Herbert  to  the  bridge  over  the  railway, 
and  we  walked  back  to  Arnshausen,  with  the  view  over 
the  blue  Rhon.  Under  the  treatment  I  continue  to  improve, 
though  I  have  days  of  pain  now  and  then ;  without  them  the 
mischief  cannot  be  extirpated,  and  none  of  them  is  as  bad 
as  formerly.  To-day  I  have  been  almost  wholly  free,  and 
besides  sleep  and  appetite  are  in  excellent  order.  I  go  to 
bed  earlier  every  day  (at  ten  thirty),  and  to-day  I  drank 
Rakoczy  at  nine  o'clock.  I  take  deep  delight  in  all  good 
news  from  you,  and  it  will  be  still  nicer  when  we  are  once 
both  together  again  in  rugged  health.  Much  love  to 
aunty  and  Madame  Lully.* 

From  your  most  faithful  V.   B. 


ROGATE,   84,    FRIEDRICHSRUHE. 
(Postmark,  May   18,  1884.) 

To  the  Princess  von  Bismarck,  Berlin,  11'.: 

Would  you  may  have  slept,  my  heart,  as  well  as  I  have 
here;  it  was  seventy-two  degrees  when  I  awoke,  now  it  is 
eighty-four  degrees  in  the  shade;  but  I  wish  you  better 

•Mrs.  von  Stulpnnpel. 
423 


THE    LOVE   LETTERS    OF   BISMARCK   [Dec. '86 

ink  when  you  write;  this  runs  out  at  the  first  touch,  and 
is  all  gone  after  three  words.  I  therefore  take  a  pencil. 
It  is  very  fine  here,  although  the  alders  are  three  days 
behind  those  in  Berlin,  and  the  oaks  six.  The  thorn-roses 
are  just  as  in  Berlin,  and  the  oaks  in  Silk  the  same. 
No  nightingales,  but  countless  grasshoppers,  starlings, 
and  the  like,  especially  the  cuckoo,  which  I  had  not  yet 
heard  in  Berlin.  I  asked  him,  how  much  longer?  The 
flatterer  answered,  twelve,  but  the  last  two  only  faintly. 
The  mill-race  is  a  veritable  cataract,  but  makes  a  fine  ap- 
pearance for  the  eye.  The  natural  swamp  there  used  to 
be,  mould  and  water  mixed,  has  been  pushed  some  hundred 
yards  upward,  by  art  and  expenditure,  and  the  clear 
water  is  much  enlarged.  The  mill  grinds,  but  lets  the 
rain  through.  I  went  in  a  carriage  with  Bill  to  Silk, 
where  it  is  charming,  but  the  stand  of  rye  is  rather  thin, 
and  the  barley  wants  more  rain;  the  farm-hand  com- 
plained of  the  "  big  drought. "  The  fish-ponds  have  become 
very  fine ;  the  new  plantings  again  too  deep  in  the  ground ! 
But  the  tilled  field  is  charming.  May  God  heal  you 
speedily!     Love  to  Mary  and  aunty. 

Your  V.  B. 


FRIEDRICHSRUHE,  December  22,  '86. 
To  the  Princess  von  Bismarck : 

My  DEAR  HEART, —  The  disturbance  and  the  pro- 
longed separation  are,  indeed,  very  distressing,  but  much 
more  so  is  your  chill.  Our  festival  can  be  postponed  at 
pleasure,  but  must  not  override  your  health.  We  may 
celebrate  it  in  two  or  three  days,  or,  as  the  French  do, 
at  New  Year's  Day,  but  do  me  the  favor  not  to  drive  through 
the  winter  air  before  you  are  entirely  well  again.     What 

424 


July,'87J  THE  LOVE  LETTERS  OF  BISMARCK 

can  all  festivities  or  gifts  do  for  me,  if  you  fall  sick?  Misery 
then  takes  the  place  of  joy,  and  no  candle-lighting  is  of 
any  help  against  it.  I  earnestly  beg  you  not  to  drive 
to-morrow  and  next  day  (24th);  we  certainly  will  not  cele- 
brate on  Christmas  Eve  this  time.  Don't  be  obstinate; 
you  will  make  me  sick  if  you  are,  and  apart  from  that 
will  get  stalled  in  the  snow.  It  is  snowing  here  all  that 
the  sky  has  to  send.  Everything  else  is  well,  and  I  in 
particular,  but  I  shall  fall  sick  with  anxiety  for  you  if 
I  am  not  sure  that  you  stay  quietly  in  your  warm  room. 
Please  telegraph  me  at  once  that  you  will  do  so,  or  I  shall 
have  no  peace.     Abundant  love  to  all  the  children. 

Your  most  faithful  V.  B. 


Varzin,  July  15,  '87. 
MY  DEAR  HEART,  —  Thanks  for  your  letter  of  this 
morning.  I  have  been  out  in  the  oppressive  heat  all  day  ; 
an  early  walk  over  the  Park  and  the  Richtberg,  then  a 
drive  with  Rantzau  to  Wisdow;  saw  Laura  down  with 
her  confinement;  back  by  the  beeches;  dined  not  till  half 
past  seven  with  Adelheid,  and  now,  just  going  to  bed, 
write  you  this  loving  word :  May  God  grant  us  as  a  recom- 
pense for  the  painful  separation  rich  blessing  in  health. 
We  shall  hope  for  the  compensation  in  the  winter,  and  at 
least  will  not  have  it  to  say  of  every  indisposition,  this 
comes  from  your  wilfulness  in  the  summer.  In  assured 
prospect  of  happy  reunion, 

Your  most  faithful,  but,  at  the  moment,  weary, 

v.  B. 

It  is  raining  hard.     The  trees  have  suffered   in  their 
foliage  from  May-bugs  and  lack  of   warmth.     Rain   has 

425 


THE  LOVE   LETTERS    OF  BISMARCK   [July,'88 

been  plenty.     The  fields  look  well ;  the  summer's  harvest 
better  than  at  Schonau.     Much  love  to  H.  and  Marie. 


(Telegram.) 

Varzin,  May  26,  '88. 

Without  horses  or  wife,  I  can't  bear  it  here  longer.     We 
return  to-morrow.  V.  BISMARCK. 


FRIEDRICHSRUHE,  July  16,  1888. 

To  the  Princess  von  Bismarck,  Homburg-on-the-Height : 

My  DEAR  HEART, — I  salute  your  happy  arrival  at 
Homburg  with  a  few  lines  in  my  own  hand,  that  you 
may  have  sure  proof  that  I  am  well.  Last  night,  as  often 
as  I  turned  over,  I  had  to  keep  thinking  how  we  are  flung 
around  the  world:  you  rolling  through  the  night  on  the 
railway  in  Thuringia,  Herbert  on  the  lake  between 
Arcona  and  Bornholm,  Marie  in  Berlin,  Bill  in  Hanau, 
we  here  in  the  forest.  Wrry  can  we  not  be  together?  To 
many  travel  is  the  highest  enjoyment,  to  us  a  burden. 
Every  day  till  now  we  two  have  dined  alone,  not  even 
Lange  once  with  us.  I  do  not  want  to  see  strangers, 
much  as  I  miss  my  own  folk  when  they  are  not  with  me. 
Since  this  morning  the  weather  is  warm,  the  sun  out  too; 
it  had  been  till  then  fifty  or  fifty-five  degrees,  and  rain, 
but  early  this  morning,  while  Kuno  was  hunting  (to  no 
purpose),  he  saw  it  down  to  thirty-nine  degrees;  yet  at 
nine,  when  I  rose,  it  was  sixty-eight  degrees.  The  forest 
is  as  fine  as  it  can  be ;  the  grain-fields  poor,  except  pota- 
toes and  oats,  the  hay  soaked,  wherever  it  does  not  still 
stand  thick,  adorning  the  meadow  and  awaiting  the  scythe. 
There  is  no  lack  of  summer  guests,  spite  of  the  cold,  in  all 

426 


Aug. '89]  THE    LOVE   LETTERS   OF  BISMARCK 

the  small  houses.  They  make  the  forest  unsafe.  I  spend 
the  whole  day  under  the  sky,  walking,  riding,  driving, 
and  have  at  least  six  hours  of  open  air  every  day  for  one 
in  Berlin.  Nor  do  I  so  quickly  get  tired  here  on  horse- 
back or  on  foot.  I  do  no  work,  on  principle,  when  in  the 
house.  I  read  novels,  reclining  by  the  fire.  If  this  docs 
no  good — 

God  be  with  you  and  strengthen  you,  so  that  you  may 
come  back  robust  and  in  spirits.     Hearty  love  to  aunty. 

Your  V.  B. 


Friedrichsruhe,  August  22,  '89. 
To  the  Princess  von  Bismarck,  Homburg-on-the-IIeight  : 

MY  DEAR  HEART,— Many  thanks  for  your  letter, 
which  assures  me  you  are  well  housed.  Our  separation 
is  a  misfortune  which  we  will  not  make  harder  for  each 
other  by  complaints.  I  must  comfort  myself  here  in 
company  with  Rottenburg,  who  is  just  as  lonely,  and 
Marie  will  soon  have  to  part  with  her  Cuno,  too.  Yester- 
day we  celebrated  her  day  and  Christian's  with  many 
bouquets  and  with  the  foaming  Moselle,  which  she  likes. 
I  brought  her  the  only  Niel  rose  I  could  find,  and  a  huge 
garland,  which  I  gathered  behind  the  castle,  of  the  splen- 
didly colored  leafage  of  the  Ohe  heath.  When  I  went  to 
bed,  after  ten,  Christian  was  still  playing,  not  yet  tired, 
with  leaden  .soldiers,  a  helmet  on  his  head,  as  their  com- 
mander. But  I  have  had  to  leave  poor  Tiras  in  the 
veterinary  school.  He  could  not  be  transported,  and 
there  is  little  succor  here  for  sick  dogs — only  horses  and 
kine  are  known  to  the  veterinary  practitioners.  I  have 
still  all  along  been  somewhat  anxious  for  the  intrusive 
black  calf's  head,  with  his    good-humored   awkwardness. 

427 


THE  LOVE  LETTERS  OF  BISMARCK  [Aug. '89 

Tiras  hardly  knows  me  any  more ;  he  has  not  grown  any. 
The  forest  is  charming  in  its  oaks;  the  beeches  are  in 
places  eaten  bare  by  caterpillars,  not  around  the  house, 
but  farther  in  the  forest,  and  are  generally  poor  in  foliage. 
At  Schonau  I  saw  at  least  good  lupines,  huge  seradels, 
and  potatoes  ninety  hundredweight  to  the  acre,  twice  as 
much  as  last  year;  besides,  the  rye  harvest  is  good,  but 
oats,  barley,  and  clover  have  turned  out  very  poorly. 
There  has  been  nothing  else  in  my  life  here;  I  am  just 
out  of  the  bath,  and  am  now  going  to  Rott's  lecture;  on 
the  way  I  want  to  stop  at  the  desk  at  least  to  send  you  a 
word  of  love,  wish  you  good  weather,  and  report  that  all 
is  well  except  as  to  the  lame  puppy.  Please  give  much 
love  to  Merry,*  and  sincere  remembrances  to  all  you  see  fit. 

Your  V.  B. 

*Mrs.  Mary  Meister. 


THE  END 


THE    BROWNING    LETTERS 


THE  LETTERS  OF  ROBERT  BROWNING  AND 
ELIZABETH  BARRETT  BARRETT,  1845-1846. 
Illustrated  with  Two  Contemporary  Portraits  of  the 
Writers  and  Two  Facsimile  Letters.  With  a  Prefatory 
Note  by  R.  Barrett  Browning,  and  Notes,  by  F.  G. 
Kenyon,  Explanatory  of  the  Greek  Words.  Two  Vol- 
umes. Crown  8vo,  Cloth,  Ornamental,  Deckel  Edges 
and  Gilt  Tops,  $5  00 ;  Half  Morocco,  $9  50. 

Many  good  gifts  have  come  to  English  literature  from  the  two 
Brownings,  husband  and  wife,  besides  those  poems,  which  are  their 
greatest.  The  gift  of  one's  poems  is  the  gift  of  one's  self.  But  in  a 
fuller  sense  have  this  unique  pair  now  given  themselves  by  what  we  can 
but  call  the  gracious  gift  of  these  letters.  As  their  union  was  unique, 
so  is  this  correspondence  unique.  .  .  .  The  letters  are  the  most  opu- 
lent in  various  interest  which  have  been  published  for  many  a  day. — 
Academy,  London. 

We  have  read  these  letters  with  great  care,  with  growing  astonishment, 
with  immense  respect ;  and  the  final  result  produced  on  our  minds  is  that 
these  volumes  contain  one  of  the  most  precious  contributions  to  literary 
history  which  our  time  has  seen. — Saturday  Review,  London. 

We  venture  to  think  that  no  such  remarkable  and  unbroken  series  of 
intimate  letters  between  two  remarkable  people  has  ever  been  given  to 
the  world.  .  .  .  There  is  something  extraordinarily  touching  in  the 
gradual  unfolding  of  the  romance  in  which  two  poets  play  the  parts  of 
hero  and  heroine. — Spectator,  London. 

Certainly  the  most  remarkable  letters  ever  published. — N.  Y.  Sun. 

Sweet  with  the  joy  of  a  great  and  all-embracing  love  on  both  sides. — 
Athenj'uin,  London. 

A  record,  perhaps  unexampled  in  literature,  of  the  passionate  feeling 
entertained  for  each  other  by  two  souls  d' elite. — London  Times. 


HARPER  &   BROTHERS,  Publishers 

NEW  YORK    AND    LONDON 

The  above  work  will  be  sent  by  mail,  postage  prepaid,  to  any  part  of  the  United 
States,  Canada,  or  Mexico,  on  receipt  of  the  price. 


By  FELIX   STONE   MOSCHELES 


FRAGMENTS  OF  AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  Illus- 
trated  with  Photogravure  Portraits.  8vo,  Cloth, 
Uncut  Edges  and  Gilt  Top,  $2  50. 

Mr.  Moscheles  writes  in  a  light  and  cheerful  strain  that  wins 
the  confidence  of  the  reader. — Atheiueum,  Loudon. 

The  book  is  delightful  from  first  page  to  last,  and  is  one  of  the 
few  books  that  the  reader  feels  is  not  long  enough. — Saturday 
Euning  Gazette,  Boston. 

Mr.  Moscheles  is  not  only  a  gifted  painter  and  musician,  but  a 
literary  artist  as  well.  There's  a  charm  about  the  book  that  will 
appeal  to  all. — Journal,  Albany. 

IN  BOHEMIA  WITH  DU  MAURIER.  With  63  orig- 
inal drawings  by  George  du  Maurier.  8vo,  Cloth, 
Ornamental,  Uncut  Edges  and  Gilt  Top,  $2  50. 

The  book  is  interesting,  not  only  because  of  its  author  and 
artist,  but  also  because  it  casts  side-lights  on  the  surroundings,  if 
not  on  the  personality,  of  that  latter-day  heroine  of  fiction  and  the 
foot-lights— Trilby. — Speaker,  Loudon. 

Few  books  more  interesting  as  human  documents  have  been 
published  than  "In  Bohemia  with  Du  Maurier." — Book  Buyer, 
N.  Y. 


HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  Publishers 

NEW     YORK     AND    LONDON 
^ff"  Either  of  the.  at/ore  work*  mill  l»e  nent  by  until.  /  oitage  prepaid, 
to  any  part  of  the  United  Stale*,  Canada,  or  Meu:i<v,  on  receipt  of  the 
price. 


By  Gk  W.  E.  RUSSELL 


COLLECTIONS  AND  RECOLLECTIONS.  By  One 
Who  Has  Kept  a  Diary.  With  One  Illustration. 
Crown  8vo,  Cloth,  Ornamental,  Deckel  Edges  and  Gilt 
Top,  $2  50. 

It  does  not  often  happen  that  a  volume  of  reminiscences  pre- 
sents so  much  interesting  and  attractive  matter.  ...  It  is  difficult 
to  lay  apide  a  book  which  contains  so  much  of  the  salt  which  sea- 
sons life.  Such  a  volume  is  a  never-failing  resource  for  the  reader 
•wearied  of  overmuch  feeding  on  the  solid  viands  of  literature. 
Especially  commendable  is  the  spirit  of  kindness  which  pervades 
the  narratives.  There  are  no  flings  at  living  pygmies  or  dead 
lions. — Brooklyn  Eagle. 

THE  RIGHT  HONORABLE  WILLIAM  EWART 
GLADSTONE.  ( Queen's  Prime-Ministers.)  Portrait. 
Crown  8vo,  Cloth,  $1   00. 

Mr.  George  W.  E.  Russell,  who  writes  this  book,  has  done  a 
difficult  task  well.  The  personal  biography  is  necessarily  brief, 
because  the  plan  of  the  book  calls  for  a  political  biography,  and 
because  Gladstone  entered  public  life  at  twenty-two,  and  has  lived 
and  breathed  the  air  of  Parliament  ever  since.  Yet  it  would  not 
be  possible  to  measure  his  public  career  justly  without  that  knowl- 
edge of  his  personality  and  his  ingrained  tastes.  Mr.  Russell  has 
provided  the  needful  information  in  a  succinct  form,  and  his  final 
chapter,  in  which  he  analyzes  Mr.  Gladstone's  character,  is  elo- 
quent in  its  restraint  and  vigor  of  touch. — Atlantic  Monthly. 


HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  Publishers 

NEW   YORK   AND   LONDON 

Either  of  the  above  works  will  be  tent  by  mail,  pottage  pre- 
paid, to  any  part  of  the  United  States,  Canada,  or  Mexico,  on  receipt 
of  the  price. 


RETURN 
TO— » 

LOAN  PE 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

405  Hilgard  Avenue,  Los  Angeles,  CA  90024-1388 

Return  this  material  to  the  library 

from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


— M- 

— m- 

4AK12  b 


UIMI    VLIUI    I      I      \Jl       V/MLI 


3 


UCLA-College  Library 

DD  218  A17E  1901b 


L  005  661    132  0 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A  A      000  149  563 


ap 


liiifilllllniiHilliilllll) 


pillpl      11 


